


Behind The Mirror

by ThePraxianSeeker



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Torture, Insanity, M/M, Master/Pet, SOUL Mechanics (Undertale), Soul healing, Violence, good guys are bad and bad guys are good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 55,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26167831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePraxianSeeker/pseuds/ThePraxianSeeker
Summary: It was bound to happen.....He would never stop in his path of destruction and violence.....He had to be stopped before the whole Multiverse crumbled under his terror. However....knowing that it had to be done.....it did not make the act itself any less painful.Two beings...torn apart by actions taken to save their respective Multiverses. However, a shadow looms over them. The fate of both their Multiverses lays in their ability to forgive and love again....but is it possible?  Or are they each doomed to a Multiverse level Reset?
Relationships: Blue/Dust (two versions), Cross/Killer, Dream/Cross, Horror/Nighmare, Ink/Error, Stretch/Chara
Comments: 50
Kudos: 60





	1. Crossed Paths, Crossed Destinies

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story comes from the Shattered Glass comics of Transformers. Please comment and let me know what you think. Kudos are also welcome. Also, fanart is also very welcome. I'm also looking for someone with good comic making skills. I'm not good at comics, but I'd be thrilled to have this story made into a comic! Fan art is always welcome!

Third Person POV

It was bound to happen.....He would never stop in his path of destruction and violence.....He had to be stopped before the whole Multiverse crumbled under his terror. However....knowing that it had to be done.....it did not make the act itself any less painful to Ink. Error never made it easy....even though Ink had begged countless times, Error only had eyes for the path of genocide. Ink did not know how long he had sat there, holding Error's coat as his dust was carried off by the winds of UnderSwap. "Why......why did you make me do it, Error? Why couldn't you just stop?" Ink asked as tears streamed down his face. However, no answer came. Of course Error wouldn't answer him....not that he ever would while he lived.......

Meanwhile in an alternate version of the Multiverse.........

It was bound to happen.....He would never stop in his path of destruction and violence.....He had to be stopped before the whole Multiverse crumbled under his terror. However....knowing that it had to be done.....it did not make the act itself any less painful to Error. Ink never made it easy....even though Error had begged countless times, Ink only had eyes for the path of genocide. Error did not know how long he had sat there, holding Ink's scarf as his dust was carried off by the winds of UnderSwap. "Why......why did you make me do it, Ink? Why couldn't you just stop?" Error asked as tears streamed down his face. However, no answer came. Of course Ink wouldn't answer him....not that he ever would while he lived.......

A shadow watched as the two Protectors tore themselves apart. It was Soul shattering to watch them in so much pain. The shadow only wanted to help....to ease their anguish. However, its options were limited, as was its magic. 'Perhaps....' the shadow thought as it watched the pair continue to mourn what may had been. 'Either it will work....or the cycle will continue....who is to say? If it gets out of hand......I can always reset both Multiverses, and everything will be as it should be again' The shadow thought as it gathered up the needed magic.

Ink was still crying over Error's death, the strong emotion settling into his bones. No longer would he ever need to consume the ink for sorrow....it now consumed him. Suddenly, a portal opens before Ink. Ink stares at it as tears pooled at the corners of his eye sockets. Who had created it? Where did it lead? Slipping on Error's coat, Ink got closer to the portal in an attempt to look through it. What he saw had him questioning his own sanity. On the other side, was one that he never thought he would see again.....It was Error. However, Error looked a lot different than the one he knew. His skull was a softer grey instead of the harsh black. While he still had the tear trails that came down from his eyes, they were a gold color on this Error.

His outfit was also different. instead of Error's normal overcoat, sweater, and pants....this Error wore a red T-shirt, black shorts, and a black hoodie that was tied around his waist. On his feet was a pair of black boots instead of the red slippers Ink came to know. This Error was crying, just as Ink had been. However, He clutched a dark brown scarf that bordered close to the same color as dried blood. Ink touches his own scarf in recognition. Had....Had the Ink that this Error had fought been as evil as his own Error? Ink's curiosity got the better of him as he stepped through the portal. As soon as Ink had passed through, the portal crackles and collapses, closing Ink's return home. 'I will figure it out later' Ink thought as he came up to the Error.

Error was horrified by what he had done. No amount of kindness could ever make him forget tearing Ink apart and shattering the bones.....or breaking that cursed paintbrush over his knee......No....he could never forget.....and he could never forgive himself. Could he had done anything to change Ink's mind? Could he have said anything to stop Ink's plans? No....Ink had been set in his demented plans. To create an army of deleters to rid the Multiverse of everything he saw wrong with it. In the aftermath, Ink would have remade the Multiverse in his vision, Creators be damned. "Error...." He heard a soft voice say. He didn't want to believe what he had heard.

His reasoned that his ears were just hearing was his Soul yearned for, but could not have. Ink was gone....just dust on the wind now. Then, like a feather, he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. 'Wait......this is real? It's not an illusion or trick?' he thought, his Soul starting to become light again. 'If he's alive...who did I just kill? It must be one of his tricks' Error thought starting to feel bitter at his guilt and foolish that he had been tricked so thoroughly. The hand did not move, but neither did it tighten its grip on his shoulder. Even though the hand was still, he could feel the owner was not. They fought not to tremble or to cause any harm. This puzzled Error to no end. "Error....it's ok now" Ink's voice said, quiet, like a prayer, ironic for The Re-maker.

"Ok? How could anything be ok, Ink?" Error yelled before teleporting a few feet away from Ink. This Ink looked different, but Error wasn't going to let his guard down. The Re-maker could have just changed his wardrobe. Instead of Ink's dark trench coat, blood-splattered t-shirt, dress slacks, blood reddish-brown scarf, and white slippers, this Ink wore an outfit similar to Error's. "Is this another one of your sick jokes, Ink? Sending in a double for me to kill before killing me as I sit soul shattered over you?" Error yelled as he wraps Ink in his strings. Ink only looked at Error with a sorrowful look which was starting to piss him off. 'What is he playing at? Why....Why isn't he trying to escape....to fight back?' Error thought.

Ink knew all too well that meeting this Error's rage with violence would probably result in only a bad time for him. So, Ink waited patiently as the Error had what seemed to be an internal conflict with himself. In truth, Ink knew it was not him that this Error was angry with, but the Ink that lived in this version of the Multiverse. Ink could tell that his lack of action only further confused this Error. "Why.....Why haven't you escaped yet? Why haven't you ordered your demented paint brush to attack me?" Error yelled as he started to glitch. Ink sighs and pulls at the strings. This only caused them to tighten around his limbs, chest, and neck. Surprisingly, these strings were much stronger than his Error could make.

Giving up, Ink looks at the Error before him. "I can't escape the strings. They're far too strong, which is amazing. You're pretty strong, aren't ya?" Ink asks, confusing Error again. 'Can't escape? Is he fucking with me?' Error thinks as he loosens the strings, but not enough for Ink to free himself. "What are you talking about? Quit jerking me around, You Soulless Bastard!" Error yells. Ink shakes his head. There was no talking to this Error right now. Like his own, this Error was hard to get through to when he was scared, and Ink felt that he scared this Error a lot. "Please, just let me down so we can talk like civilized people. I won't try anything. You have my word. Although, I doubt my word holds any merit to you." Ink says, remaining calm.

Error looks at him, stunned that Ink actually answered him straightforward instead of his numerous riddles and puns. "You try anything....and I'll cut your fucking head off and grind your bones to dust." Error says and releases Ink from his strings. Ink pats the wrinkles from his clothing and looks for his brush. "Looking for this?" Error says holding Broomie. Ink frowns. "I'll give it back....only if I like your answers." Error says and Ink nods. "Look, you probably know about how there are multiple AUs. It's why the Multiverse is called Multiverse" Ink says and Error nods. Of course he knew that, but what was this Ink getting at? Why hadn't he just used his magic to pull the brush from his hold? Unless.....Error checks Ink. 

"LV....2......HP.....infinite....Attack....1.......defense....infinite....exp on kill.....unknown.........gold on win.....unknown...." Is what popped up when Error checks Ink's stats. Error frowned. 'This Ink...whoever he really is....wherever he's from....he's nothing like my Ink' Error thinks. Ink waits for a moment for Error to gather his thoughts. He had felt his stats being checked. He probably wouldn't mind if Ink did the same. "LV.....2.....HP.....infinite......Attack....1....Defense....infinite.....exp on kill.....unknown.....gold on win....unknown..." Is what popped up. 'He is the same as I am.....' Ink thinks. "You can continue.....if I hadn't been checking your stats, I would have been pissed that you were checking mine. However....fair is fair" Error says.

Ink nods. "I....I am only level two because I had to kill Error...." Ink says that sorrowful look back on his face. That was something else all together. The Ink that Error knew did not need to carry vials of ink around. He had gotten his emotions back long ago when he joined forces with the sadistic Shattered Dream. "As I was saying....just as there is multiple AUs, it seems that there are also multiple Multiverses. In my Multiverse, MY Error was on a path of destruction and Genocide, his insanity unreversable. However, here I am standing before an Error similar to my own. There are several differences, but you both have the same soul." Ink says, sitting down. He shrugs off the blue and black coat he had been wearing. It had been so out of place on him.

"This belonged to MY Error......I made it for him...so long ago...before he went insane" Ink says. Error sits down and shows the scarf. "MY Ink....had never been sane.....he had been driven to insanity by his lust for the power he held.....and he wanted to be the only one to hold it....the Creators be Damned. He was planning on making an army to destroy what I refused to....what he thought was against his perfect vision....and to remake it to his vision of perfection. We lost many lives....both creations...and creators....." Error said, making Ink gasp. "But....But how could he do that! The Creators are the magic of the Multiverse! Without them, the Multiverse would crumble!" Ink says, horrified. Error nods. 

"Ink would toy with them....he would help make their AUs...then, he would change things...slow at first, and then in more extreme ways. He would tell the Creators things that should never be said.....how their work was nothing but a glitch in the Multiverse....that they should never create again.....that their work was trash.....if the Creator was strong enough, they could survive his cruelty....However, the weaker ones.....they became depressed...and eventually took their own lives. I only know this because Nightmare could feel it....even from here." Error says. "T-that's horrible....I would never.....I...I think I'm going to be sick" Ink says and rushes to a bucket that was nearby and throws up. 'ok....that's different.....MY Ink never gets sick' Error says and comes over.

Error gently holds Ink's head steady as he throws up black ink. "T-thank you...."He says standing up straight. He wobbles feeling light-headed. "Take it easy....Stars....are you alright?" Error asks and Ink nods. "Too much stress upsets my stomach....Sorry about that...." Ink says and looks at the bucket. "Don't worry about it, Ink" Error says. "As much as I threw up....you could restore an AU easy...I've done it before." Ink says surprising Error. "It can really do that?" Error asks and Ink nods. "Well, for now, I will put it somewhere safe." Error says and opens a portal. What appears to be Horror pokes his head through. He looks more....happy than Ink's Horror is, and he doesn't have a huge hole in his skull.

"What's up, Error? Wait...is that Ink?" Horror says taking a guarded stance. "Horror, relax...He's not our Ink......Our Ink....he's...he's dust now." Error says and Horror sighs in relief. "So.....what do ya need?" Horror asks. "I need you to put that bucket in the safe. do not spill it! It's our chance to restore the Classic AU" Error says and Horror nods and leaves with the bucket. Error lets Ink lean on him. "Come on, Kiki, let's get you somewhere to rest" Error says. Ink yawns. "Ok....Ruru..."


	2. The Same, Yet Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream of Ink's Multiverse explains Error and Ink to Blueberry. Horror of Error's Multiverse explains his Error and the evil Ink to Ink. Poor Error has a headache and Poor nightmare of Error's Multiverse needs love

In Ink's Multiverse.....Blueberry's POV

"And you're sure you felt it over here, Dream?" I ask as we look for Ink. It had been hours since the fighting finally stopped and there was no sign of Ink anywhere. "I'm very certain.....Poor Ink.....I never thought I'd sense such sorrow." Dream says, making me curious. I had to admit, I didn't know a lot about my friend, Ink. For the most part, he always had a smile on his face. It was always the Multiverse this or the Multiverse that. However, He never spoke about himself or his private matters. Maybe he did, but it was before I joined the star sanses. "Dream.....Why should Ink be sad? If Error is finally gone, Isn't it for the best?" I ask. I admit, I'm probably a bit naive, but I needed to know....to understand. Dream sighs. "It's a long story, Blue. You sure that you want to know?" He asks and I nod. Dream rubs his head. "Ok....I'll tell you" Dream says.

"Long ago....before you became aware of the Multiverse....there was an unfinished AU. It had no name.....no color.....the beings that lived there....well, one could not call it living if one did not possess a soul. Only one of these beings had a soul....had a voice. The others....they were stuck as just....just sketches, no way to become more. Their Creator had abandoned them to this fate....unfinished.....trapped forever. The one that did possess a soul, the Sans of this unfinished world, felt so alone. He could not talk to the others, their voices carried no sound. After some time, the quiet....the loneliness....the white got to this Sans. He begged for the others to say something....to do something. 

However, None of them could. They could only watch as their Sans went spiraling into insanity. To their horror, their Sans did something drastic. He tore apart his own soul. Sans was then thrown from the unfinished AU into the Anti-void. You already know about it, Blue. The Sans woke up with no memory of what he had done....where he had come from....and no emotions. We know this Sans as Ink." Dream says and I'm already crying. "Poor Ink! What kind of jerk would abandon his own creation?" I ask. Dream rubs my head. "Some Creators just lose hope in what they make, Blue. It's not unheard of.....rare, but not impossible. Anyways, Ink stayed in the Anti-void alone for some time. Then, one day, a splash of color rained down on Ink.

This yellow ink, which had covered Ink, filled Ink with much happiness. However, the feeling did not last long. Ink eventually learned to capture as much of the ink as he could while it fell from the world of the Creators. He learned his purpose, to create. Ink eventually grew bored being trapped in his little pocket of the Anti-void, which is now the Doodle-sphere. It was then that he learned he could travel the Multiverse. Meanwhile.....around the same time that Ink had started to explore, there was another Sans. Let's call him Geno." Dream says and we sit down. "I...I think I've heard Reaper mention Geno before." I say and Dream nods.

"Geno was a Sans that lived in a Genocide run of Aftertale before it's peaceful timeline came to be. When the anomaly killed him, Geno escaped to the save screen of his world. Unable to leave under fear of death, he pulled different Sanses from the future timelines in hopes they would help him end all of the timelines of the AU. However, it never worked out. The final Sans he pulled into the save screen eventually helped Geno escape the save screen with help from his frisk. That was the beginning of the Aftertale we all know. However.....after some time, Geno became paranoid. He was so sure that the anomaly would eventually get bored of the peace and start killing again." Dream says and I nod.

"I think every Sans has felt that way at one point" I say and he nods. "Well, Geno refused to let the idea fade. He started experimenting with Determination, just like Gaster had before him. Despite the warnings from After Sans, Geno eventually experimented on himself. The Determination burned him pretty badly, but he could only feel how much he wanted to destroy the anomaly once and for all. Those feels of anger...those desires for destruction....they twisted him into the Error we know." Dream finishes and I stare at him in shock. "He...." I say. Dream nods. "He took it too far. Soon after that, he fled to his own pocket of the Anti-void, leaving behind dust of who he used to be. 

At first, Error wasn't insane, just very angry, confused, and scared. He didn't remember what he had been trying to originally do. He had all this power, all this strength, and he didn't understand how to control it. That's when Ink and Error first met. Error didn't know what to think of Ink and Ink, being Ink, was very curious of Error. Over time, the two became close as Ink helped Error understand his new role." Dream says, leaving me confused. "If Ink and Error are such good friends, what happened?" I ask. Dream sighs. "PaperJam happened. It was just another mock battle between Error and Ink. They had to cut it short when Ink got sick and it, naturally freaked Error out. 

However, they did not clean up the magic they had left in the Anti-void. The ink that had been thrown up combined with Error's strings. That's what made PaperJam. A few years later, Ink and Error returned to have another mock battle to make the Creators happy. Neither hated the other, but the Creators liked pitting them against each other. They were in the middle of one of these battles when they noticed PaperJam for the first time. While Ink had instantly grown attached to him, Error was appalled. To Error, PaperJam was an anomaly that had to be destroyed to save the Multiverse. This caused Error and Ink to truly start fighting." Dream says and I'm again in shock.

"Unable to tell the difference between anomalies and accepted exceptions, Error eventually lost his grip on his sanity and started to destroy everything in his path....You know the rest" Dream says getting up. I get up as well and stretch. "So...wait....did they have other feelings for each other or were they just friends?" I ask. Dream starts walking again and I run to catch up. "Ink definitely loved Error.....he never needed that ink to feel love. Error had healed that part of his soul. However....I'm not sure if Error ever felt the same for Ink." Dream says and I nod. "We're here" Dream says and we look around. We soon find some of Error's clothes. I frown. "So....Ink finally did it....he stopped Error" I say.

Dream nods and looks around. "Ink cried for some time.....you can see where his tears fell.....then....something changed" Dream says looking at the tracks on the ground. "Something grabbed Ink's attention.....and he followed it...most likely into a portal....well...that or Ink left to another AU to cry some more." Dream says and I nod, picking up Error's clothes. "Error's coat is missing" I say and Dream nods. "Ink probably took it with him. He made it for Error so long ago. Ink will probably show up when he's ready. All we can do is support him when he returns." Dream says and I nod. Meanwhile, Horror watches us talk from the shadows. He scratches at the hole in his skull. "Nightmare's gotta hear this..." He says and leaves.

Meanwhile in Error's Multiverse......Error's POV

I watch Ink sleep for a few minutes before leaving to talk with Nightmare. As I leave the room, I bump into Horror. "Oof! Oh, hey Error! I got that ink stuff locked up like ya asked!" Horror says and I nod. "Horror, this is very important. Do not let anyone in that room. Right know, Ink only knows that you and I are friendly. Apparently, in his Multiverse, we're evil. So, he'll attack everyone else until proper introductions are made." I say and put my hands on his shoulders. "I am trusting you with this. Can you keep him calm?" I ask and Horror nods. "I need to talk with Nightmare before he flips out and accidentally kills the poor guy" I say and leave to find Nightmare.

Horror's POV

I watch as Error walks off to find Nightmare. I look into the room curiously. Error said that this Ink was nice. Locking the door behind me, I change the cloth on Ink's forehead with a cool one. Ink doesn't stir, probably exhausted from fighting his own Error. It was odd to think the Error could ever be evil and Ink could ever be good, but here was the proof. I sit down beside him and watch over him. I can't help but feel sorry for this Ink. Trapped in a world where all his friends are evil and wouldn't hesitate to kill him. I found myself wondering what myself and the others were like in this mirror multiverse. Were things better there or worse? Ink wakes up and looks at me. 

I smile softly. "Take it easy, Ink. We've already met. I'm Horror. You're safe" I say and he nods. "Error had to go talk to Nightmare before any misunderstandings can happen. Your brush is in the corner over there, but you should rest. You have some damage that Dust had to heal. What he couldn't, he had to bandage." I say. "Can I have some water?" Ink asks and I nod. I pour a glass from the pitcher on the desk. Helping Ink sit up, I give him the glass. "Thank you..." He says and takes a drink. 'He seems so...so sad.' I think as I watch him. "Can you give me my ink vials? I need my dose of ink.....to...to feel anything but this....this sorrow" He says and I quickly give them to him.

I watch, amazed as Ink drank a little from each vial but the red and the pale, icy, blue. "Don't you need all of them?" I ask curious. Ink shakes his head. "Sorrow....and love....I can feel on my own now. No point in wasting the ink." He says and I nod. "Error said that your Multiverse is a flipped mirror of mine." I say and Ink nods. "You, Dust, Killer, Nightmare, and Error are all evil in my Multiverse." Ink says and I frown looking away. It was painful to think about killer. "My...My Killer is dead. The Re-Maker killed him." I say and Ink looks down. "I'm sorry for your loss..." Ink says and I look at him. "I always hoped....that my version of you and your friends would change their ways, make amends.....start over with better lives, but it never happened." Ink says. "I'm sure Error felt the same about our Ink, Dream, Cross, and Blueberry" I say and Ink looks at me surprised. 

"Cross is evil here?" He asks. I rub my head. "He wasn't always. He used to be good, but The Re-Maker corrupted him. Cross used to repair the damage that The Re-Maker did....until he was ambushed by him and Shattered Dream. He's not even the same skeleton he was now....They twisted him so much...I'm surprised he hasn't fallen yet" I say and Ink nods. "So.....How did....did your Ink and Error start?" Ink asks. "It's a long story." I say. "I don't have anything better to do" Ink says and I nod.

"Long ago....before I became aware of the Multiverse....there was an unfinished AU. It had no name.....no color.....the beings that lived there....well, one could not call it living if one did not possess a soul. Only one of these beings had a soul....had a voice. The others....they were stuck as just....just sketches, no way to become more. Their Creator had abandoned them to this fate....unfinished.....trapped forever. The one that did possess a soul, the Sans of this unfinished world, felt so alone. He could not talk to the others, their voices carried no sound. After some time, the quiet....the loneliness....the white got to this Sans. He begged for the others to say something....to do something. 

However, None of them could. They could only watch as their Sans went spiraling into insanity. To their horror, their Sans did something drastic. He tore apart his own soul. Sans was then thrown from the unfinished AU into the Anti-void. The Sans woke up with no memory of what he had done....where he had come from....and no emotions. We know this Sans as Ink." I say and Ink nods. "Sounds like my beginnings, continue please" Ink says and I nod. "Ink stayed in the Anti-void alone for some time. Then, one day, a splash of color rained down on Ink. This yellow ink, which had covered Ink, filled Ink with much happiness. 

However, the feeling did not last long. Ink eventually learned to capture as much of the ink as he could while it fell from the world of the Creators. He learned his purpose, to create. Ink eventually grew bored being trapped in his little pocket of the Anti-void, which is now the Doodle-sphere. It was then that he learned he could travel the Multiverse. When He saw the Multiverse and its many AUs, Ink grew irritated. To him, the Multiverse could be done better....by someone who could create better AUs. He felt that this role...the role of Creator should be his, and his alone." I say. "Error mentioned an army of deleters?" Ink asks and I nod.

"The Deleters were like a wave, sweeping an AU clean over a course of a few minutes. Those caught before them.....they were never the same again...." I say looking down. I feel a soft touch on my hand, making me jump, startled. "Sorry..." Ink says. I look at him and that sorrowful look was back. "It's not...it's not your fault, Ink." I say and he nods. "I know, but I can't help but feel guilty for what your Ink has done." Ink says. "After the Deleters had done their job....The Re-Maker would come and re-make the AU to his vision of perfection......My...My brother....he's...he'll never be as he was...." I say and ink gently squeezes my hand. "I..I only escaped because Error got to me in time." I say.

Ink nods. "As for Error.....well....Are you sure you want to hear this? It's not exactly pretty" I say and Ink nods. I sigh and rub my head. "Meanwhile.....around the same time that Ink had started to explore, there was another Sans. Let's call him Geno." I say and Ink nods. "My Error started as Geno as well." Ink says sadly. "Geno was a Sans that lived in a Genocide run of Aftertale before it's peaceful timeline came to be. When the anomaly killed him, Geno escaped to the save screen of his world. Unable to leave under fear of death, he pulled different Sanses from the future timelines in hopes they would help him end all of the timelines of the AU. However, it never worked out. 

The final Sans he pulled into the save screen eventually helped Geno escape the save screen with help from his Chara. That was the begining of the Aftertale we all know. However.....after some time, Geno became paranoid. He was so sure that the anomaly would eventually get bored of the peace and start killing again." I say. Ink soon looks confused. "Chara? What happened to Frisk?" He asks confused."In this Multiverse, Frisk is the fallen child, adopted daughter of Asgore and Toriel. Chara is the one that normally runs Pacifist runs" I say and he nods.

"Well, Geno refused to let the idea fade. He started experimenting with Determination, just like Gaster had before him. Despite the warnings from After Sans, Geno eventually experimented on himself. The Determination burned him pretty badly, but he could only feel how much he wanted to destroy the anomaly once and for all. Those feels of anger...those desires for destruction....they twisted him into the Error we know. However, before He could cause any destruction, Error asked his friends for help. Thanks to his friends, Error was able to calm down and take control of the power within him" I say and Ink nods.

"What about PaperJam?" Ink asks and it's my turn to be confused. "Who?" I ask. Ink looks a bit sad. "In my Multiverse, Error and I accidentally made another being from our magics. My Error saw him as a threat to the Multiverse and tried to kill him...It eventually caused him to go insane. He destroyed entire AUs, unable to tell the difference between anomalies that had to be destroyed and those made to be anomalies. I...I had to kill my Error or he would have never stopped" Ink says. I squeeze his hand gently and he smiles a little. The door unlocks and Error comes in. I stand up. "Oh, Error! Did everything go well with Nightmare?" I ask. "You may want to go soothe your lover, Horror" He says and I nod and leave.

Error's POV

I sit down and sigh, feeling drained. This whole mess was quickly leading to a serious crash. "Are you alright, Error?" Ink asks and I find my Soul tighten. 'He is not MY Ink....Get a hold of yourself...no matter how beautiful the imitation, it is still an imitation' I think. "Nightmare will grant you a safe place to stay. However, there are some ground rules." I say and Ink nods. "This will be your room. It is spelled against teleportation in or out. At night, you will be locked inside until morning. Your brush remains in this room unless told otherwise. It will be easier on everyone if you are unarmed. At least until we feel that we can trust you." I say and he nods.

'He is taking all of this well.....' I think. "You will endeavor to keep your hands visible during the day when you can leave your room. And finally, You will allow a check in front others. This will prove to them that you do not share the same history or level as the Ink we all know." I say and Ink nods. "I understand...I would have done the same if you had come to my home instead." Ink says. I sigh. "We'll try our best to help you get back to your Multiverse. While portals between AUs is easy, It takes an insane amount of power, more than either of us possess, to open one between Multiverses" I say making Ink frown. "That's the only thing that worries me..." Ink says and I nod.

"Whoever did this is strong...Stronger than either of us." I say and Ink nods. "Perhaps...even strong enough to reset both multiverse if they felt the need" Ink says and I shiver. "That....that's a scary thought....I can't image what a reset of the Multiverse would be like. Who would remember? Who would forget? Whatever it is, we have to stop it from happening" I say and Ink nods. "I also worry about my Multiverse. Even without MY Error, we still have Nightmare, killer, dust, and Horror to worry about. Cross joined my side after he fell in love with Dream." Ink says and I nod. "If your Nightmare is anything like Shattered Dream, I worry for your home as well. For now, get some rest. I'll send Dust in later to check on you. Try not to attack him. Poor guy has enough problems" I say and Ink nods. Before I leave the room, I hear Ink lay back down. "Thank you.....Ruru" He says and my Soul tightens up again. "Rest well, Kiki"


	3. Spying Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Ink's Multiverse, Dust makes a choice.
> 
> In Error's Multiverse, Dust makes a mistake

Ink's Multiverse......Dust's POV

Despite Nightmare's best laid plans, Error failed to kill Ink, but not only that! The sentimental idiot got himself killed. I didn't get Error. He had multiple chances to finish Ink off once and for all. However, for some reason he never finished the job. He had so much potential, but wasted his life away. Nightmare is understandably pissed. Error was, after all, his favorite to toy with. I don't exactly know what he promised Error to get him on our side, but Error didn't get whatever it was. I soon see Horror rushing in. He looks....happy, which can only be a bad thing. "Horror, what did you do this time? You never this happy" I say and he grins. "I have some....juicy information about Ink!" He cackles.

"Horror, Right now isn't the best time to be around Nightmare. He's still throwing one of tantrums" I say and Horror frowns. "But....it's important" He says but obviously scared. I sigh and rub my forehead. "How about this, you tell me, and I'll tell Nightmare once he's calmed down again" I offer. Horror scratches at the hole in his skull. "I don't know, Dust. It's pretty important. What if you forget?" He says. I sigh. that was the problem dealing with Horror. Like most Sanses, he was smart. It was a real trick to convince Horror of anything. Well, that and he was unpredictable. "Horror, I don't forget the important things. Besides, there's some spaghetti in the kitchen. You may want to get some before Killer beats you to it again" I say and he looks horrified.

"Ok, but don't forget! You said you wouldn't!" He says and I nod. Horror gets a huge grin on his face. "Ink's gone missing! Not even his starboys can find him! They think he ran off to cry over Error!" Horror says. I sigh and shake my head. "Horror....that's old news. I knew that already. If I know, Nightmare already knows" I say and Horror looks down. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Now, go eat while there's some left, Ok?" I say and he runs off. Horror did have some good information, not that I was going to tell Nightmare. I purposely avoiding telling him anything of importance these days.

'Finally....something fun to do. No need to bother Nightmare with this.' I think as I head to my quarters. 'After all.....what Nightmare doesn't know won't kill Blue' I think as I open the door and lock it behind me. My quarters were spelled against easdroping. Nightmare allowed it because he trusted he me.....What an idiot. I open the chest at the foot of my bed. After a bit of digging around, I pull out a blue gemstone. I smile remembering Ink's face when Blue begged him to spare me...to have mercy. 'Time to repay mercy with mercy' I think and activate the gemstone.

UnderSwap.....Blue's POV

I was in the kitchen making dinner for Papy and myself when I felt something warm in my pocket. "OH! Dust!" I say and pull out the small blue gemstone from my pocket. I smile and activate it. A small image appears above it of Dust. I blush a little. "H-hey Dust. It's been a while" I say. He smiles a little. "Yeah...sorry about that. Horror keeps sniffing around my quarters. I couldn't risk it. Anyways, I didn't call for small talk." He says and I frown. "What's going on? Did Nightmare find out about us?" I ask worried for Dust's safety. Dust shakes his head. "No, Horror found out about Ink going missing. I told him Nightmare already knew, but who knows how long he'll buy that" Dust says.

I nod and put the tacos on a plate. "Well, Ink is missing. It's strange because not even Dream can sense him anywhere. It's like he vanished from the Multiverse." I say. Dust nods. "I'll try my best to keep Nightmare in the dark. You and Dream need to tell Cross and try to get Fell Ink to side with you at least until Ink returns." Dust says. I nod. "You...stay safe over there. Love you, Dust." I say and he smiles. "I love you too, Blueberry" He says and the gemstone goes dark again as the image vanishes. I frown and wonder again where Ink could have went and if he was alright. "Please be ok, Ink. We're in trouble here.....so...wherever you are, I hope you come home soon" 

Error's Multiverse.....Ink's POV

I wake up to a very familiar face in the room with me. Dust was preparing something on a desk nearby. "Dust?" I say, making him jump startled. He turns to look at me. He's almost as different as Error is in comparison to my version. While he wore the same outfit, it was much cleaner. His eyelights held that frightened animal look. One eyelight was blue with a ring of green around it. the other eyelight was completely green. "O-oh...y-you're awake....that's good...very good." He studders, reminding me a little of Alphys from the classic AU back home. He comes over with a tray that has a pair of scissors along with some fresh bandages and some food. 

There wasn't much food. It made me wonder if it was because I was an unknown and they couldn't afford to waste resources...or they didn't have much to spare to begin with. "Error asked me to check up on you. So, I'm here to do just that....your bandages need changing and I brought you some food....I apologize for the paltry amount and if the bread is a bit stale. We get what we can grab on raids." He says and I look at him confused. Dust notices. "Oh...sorry. I forget that you are not our Ink. Not that it's a bad thing! Just that you don't know about this Multiverse." He says. "It's ok, Dust....so what are these raids?" I ask as he helps me sit up. 

Dust sighs. "Well, in this Multiverse, most of the most abundant AUs have been seized by the Star Sanses. It makes day to day life difficult for everyone involved. Nightmare hates having to steal from the AUs, but if we don't eat, we'll die. So, once in a while, Error leads a team with Nightmare to procure more supplies. Sometimes, we get lucky and we manage to get a lot of things we really need....Other times, they barely manage to get enough food for the next month, and come back worse than they left." Dust says as he gently uses the scissors to cut the stained bandages. I frown a little thinking about what he had said. "So... what all do you do around here? And how did you get involved?" I ask and he tenses. 

"Sorry.....you don't have to tell me. You're just so different from the Dust I know. He's a ruthless killer where I'm from....and a good friend. I wouldn't have even considered him an ally, let alone a friend if Him and Blue weren't together." I say and Dust looks away. "I...I don't want to talk about UnderSwap Sans....." He says. "Ok, that's fine" I say and he nods. He begins to clean the cracks in my ribs. "Hey, if you hand me my brush, I can heal this real quick" I say and he looks at me in horror. "M-me? T-touch that thing? C-can't y-you just summon it to y-your side?" He asks scared to death. I rub my head. "I never tried it before, and I really don't think I should in such a small space. Could accidentally break something" I say.

Dust nods and looks at it. "Broomie won't bite, It has no teeth" I say and he chuckles a little. "I s-suppose not" He says and reluctantly hands it to me. I smile and make broomie shrink to the size of a normal paintbrush. "My Ink couldn't do that...or he preferred not to" Dust says as I clean myself up again, repairing the damage from the fight with my Error. "Well, there's bound to be differences between us." I say and he nods. "Anyways, I didn't want you to waste anymore medical supplies on me. You need them more than I do" I say and he smiles a little. I soon hear the doorknob turn and I have Dust put Broomie on the desk, so not to scare anyone.

The door opens to reveal a skeleton I don't recognize. He looked a lot like Dream, but he wore dark lavender clothing with silver trim and he wore a silver crown with a moon on it. Dust gets up and smiles a little at the new skeleton. "Nightmare, good to see you're feeling better!" Dust says smiling. 'That is Nightmare?' I think intrigued. He was so different from mine! Nightmare smiles weakly at Dust. "I'm still not at my best, but I can move around again. I've come to speak with our....guest for some time. I hope I am not hindering your work" He says. Dust shakes his head. "Ink used his brush to repair was damage that was left. He doesn't need me now." Dust says and Nightmare looks at me.

Dust gathers up the supplies he did not need and leaves. Nightmare comes over and sits in the chair next to me. This close, I can see tiny beads of sweat on his skull and his eyelights wavered. "Are you alright?" I ask worried. He smiles weakly. "It's not anything you can fix. Although, I appreciate your concern." He says and I nod. It felt strange to hear Nightmare appreciate anything, but this wasn't MY nightmare after all. "I heard you ask Dust his story as I was coming to the room." He says. I nod. "I just want to understand this place better." I say and he nods. "Dust, as you've probably noticed, is on the skittish side. He frightens easily." Nightmare says and I nod.

"The Dust from my Multiverse is much more confident. He isn't a healer either. He's a killer, but Blue trusts him well enough. He's been a good ally." I say making Nightmare curious. "How so?" He asks. "Well, he is still sided with my version of you, but he doesn't really work for him. He acts like he's Nightmare's right hand man, but he is actually spying for us. It's helped a little in fighting against Nightmare's gang." I say and Nightmare frowns. "What?" I ask. Nightmare rubs his forehead. "If this Multiverse is just a mirror of yours, you may have just answered a problem we've been having." He says. "Oh?" I ask. "We've been having trouble lately getting supplies at all lately. It's like they know where we are planning to raid." He says and I frown. "You suspect Dust is a spy" I say.

Dust's POV

I return to my quarters and lock the door. Opening the small chest at the foot of my bed, I take out a small red gemstone. I smile despite myself. I missed Blue, and now I have something worth telling him. I activate the gemstone. Blue's image soon appears over the gemstone. "You better had something good this time, Dust" He says with his arms crossed. Blue's scarf was frayed and his dark blue armor shone, even for a magical image. A long crack was stretched across his face ending at a large hole on the right side of his skull. 'Still beautiful' I think. "Y-yes! I know you probably know that Ink is dust, but there's a new Ink!" I say and Blue's dark, almost black eyelights narrow. 

"You had better start making sense you waste of resources." He growls. "This Ink came from another Multiverse! One where Nightmare, Error, Horror, and Myself are the evil ones and the Star Sanses are good guys!" I say feeling a bit excited. If my information was good enough, Blue may reward me with his company again. My soul aches at the thought. It's been so long since He held me close to him. Blue looks to be thinking as the background moves around. He's pacing again. "This opens a very rare opportunity.....well done, Dust. Have they figured out how to get him back yet?" Blue asks. "No, it's a lot of magic to open such a portal. With our current state, we couldn't ever do something so powerful." I say.

Blue nods thinking again. "......I will be leaving Dancetale unguarded for the next several days. There will be a surplus of supplies waiting to be taken. Let them regain strength.....then, when they do manage to open that portal....I will use it to take over this other Multiverse with you as my lover, Dust" He says making a chill go down my spine The image fades and the gemstone goes dark. Suddenly, the door to my quarters is broken down by Error. Ink pokes his head around Error and frowns seeing the gemstone. "It looks like this is another similarity, Ink. What did you tell him this time, Dust? What did you give your master?" Error spits out, barely able to contain his rage.

Ink's POV

I gently touch Error's arm. "Error, calm down. I...I know it's bad, but you won't get any good from scaring him." I say and he sighs. "You're right. Nightmare can't even consume the fear anyways..." He says making me frown. "Dust....why did you do it?" Error asks as he takes the gemstone from him. Dust gives a small smile. "I love him....isn't that a good enough reason to do anything?" He asks and Error rubs his forehead. "You will confined to quarters...after Horror makes sure there's no more of these gemstones hidden away" Error says. "But I did get some good information! Dancetale is going to be left unguarded for the next few days with a surplus of supplies! And.....and Blue is planning on using Ink's way back to take over the other Multiverse" Dust says and I tense at that.

We leave soon after Horror arrives to begin his search. "What did you mean by what you said about Nightmare?" I ask Error as we go to what would be Nightmare's throne room in my Multiverse. Error frowns. "Long ago, Shattered Dream was just Dream. He and Nightmare both guarded a very important tree." He says and I nod. "It's the same back in my home" I say. Error nods. "Anyways, the brothers had a friendly rivalry between them. People came from all over for their fruits." Error says surprising me. "Both kinds?" I ask and he nods. "Some people had difficulty grieving for those they had lost. Nightmare's apples gave them the freedom to grieve again, while Dream's helping them regain happiness afterwards." Error says and I nod.

"No one wanted Nightmare's apples in my Multiverse. They only came for Dream's....Nightmare eventually grew resentful and corrupted Dream's side...leaving only one golden apple untouched." I say sadly. "Well....Dream became bitter because he couldn't understand why anyone would come to his brother. Dream corrupted Nightmare's side, leaving just two Apples of negativity behind. Nightmare begged for Dream to stop, but he only laughed. "I will see for myself what everyone sees in your apples.....that's what Dream said before eating one of the remaining apples. Dream, who truly had no need for the apple's gifts, became overcome by them, twisting him into Shattered Dream." Error says as we go out onto a balcony.

I look out at the wasteland surrounding the castle. "You're looking at what's left of Dreamtale....Shattered Dream destroyed all in his path.....trying to rid the AU of negativity..... Nightmare safe guarded one of each apple within himself. The apples balance each other out, but it takes a toll on him. In order to prevent the golden apple from being corrupted, Nightmare cannot feed on negative emotions, only positive ones, which weakens him greatly. The negative apple remains unaffected because positive emotions can be easily made negative." Error finishes. I tremble a little, feeling sorry for Nightmare and angry at what his brother had done, sympathy settling into my bones, that piece of my soul returning.


	4. The Prodigal Son Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As ink learns more about this Mirrorverse, Error tries to mourn the dead.   
> Ink is contacted by a creator but has trouble doing his job.  
> Error tries to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, Error's Multiverse will be referred to as Mirrorverse while Ink's is the OG Multiverse

Mirrorverse.....Error's POV

I sit on my bed, exhausted. Ink has been secured in his quarters, Nightmare has been updated on Dust, and Dust himself is locked in his room. "How could have I been so blind, Killer? It was obvious Dust was hiding something" I say taking a doll of Killer from the nearby nightstand. The doll looked like a few of my sans dolls with a few exceptions. Blue lines trailed down from his eye sockets, his mouth was in a smirk. He had a white hoodie, blue sweater, blue and white shorts, and matching sneakers. I sigh and put killer back in his place. Grabbing my kit from under my bed, I get to work on the newest doll. "Don't look at me like that, Killer. You of all people know how much he meant to me" I say as I work.

Nightmare's POV

I smile kindly as Horror brings Ink to my audience hall. "Thank you, Horror" I say. He nods with a smile and sits beside me. "I'm sorry for asking you to speak with me at this late hour." I say. Ink shrugs. "I usually don't sleep much. So, don't worry" He says and sits as well. The hall had been a throne room at one point, but I had converted it for my use. The throne had been the first thing to go. Comfortable pillows were spread around the hall to sit on instead. I was no better than any of my companions. "Is Error alright?" Ink asks and I look at him. I've never seen the concern on our Ink that this one clearly showed. "Despite everything.....Error always held hope that Ink could become better. To go as far as he had to.....I'd imagine that it is torture to him" I say.

Ink nods. His expression spoke of an understanding that knew exactly how Error was feeling. "Error will be fine by morning. He just needs time to finish his normal grieving method" I say and Ink looks at me curiously. I sigh. "Probably best to warn you now....Error may seem a bit cold, but he cares more than anyone here. With the lost of a friend, a new doll is made.....to preserve their memory. It may seem silly, but Error's long-term memory has been greatly damaged thanks to The Re-maker and his experimentation" I say. Horror's hand finds one of mine, his positivity helping me remain balanced. "Oh stars......What did he do to him?" Ink says. I shake my head. "That is for Error to tell" I say.

Ink nods and looks down. "What I called you to discuss Dust. You asked about him once. Dust...is a bit complicated" I say and Ink nods. "So is mine." Ink says. "Dust was a doctor in his AU. He would help his fellow monsters with a smile on his face, always laughing, always smiling. Then, an illness swept the underground. No one knew where it had come from or how it started, just that it meant death for those affected." I say and Ink nods, saddened. "After multiple resets, and trying everything he could, Dust concluded that the only merciful thing was to kill those in his AU before the illness could make them suffer a long painful existence." I say.

"In my Multiverse, Dust was a regular sans. After fighting the anomaly so much, he finally snapped. In his mind, to save everyone from the anomaly, he had to kill them himself. However, the anomaly kept resetting the world, and he had to kill them over and over again. Eventually, he became numb to his emotions and could kill without feeling anything." Ink says. "my dust also had to live through several resets as well. Some, he could kill everyone easily....others, he was confronted and killed himself. Then, The Re-Maker arrived and started to change the world. Error came to the AU in the wake of the changes. He found Dust, unchanged, unharmed, hiding in the true lab of his world." I say.

Ink nods. Then, he frowns again. "I...I know it's probably a sore subject....but may I ask about Killer?" He asks. Horror whimpers a little. "Horror, I'll be fine. Why don't you head to bed? I'll join you shortly." I say and he nods. After a kiss to my skull, Horror leaves the room. Ink watches him leave sadly. "Killer was like a big brother to Horror and a close friend to us all. No matter how dark things seemed, he made us laugh....." I say and take a deep breath, centering myself again. "Our Killer tried so hard in his AU to stop Frisk from killing everyone, but when it looked like he would fail...he'd kill them himself. Frisk always taunted him....saying that any death he could give would be kinder than what she had planned" I say.

"It's....a bit different with my Killer. He either killed Chara and continued the genocide, joined her and made a partnered genocide, or he joined her at first just to leave to do the genocide alone later. My Nightmare loved to keep him emotionless, the killer he had become, reverting his soul back at the smallest sign of emotion. After Cross left my Nightmare for Dream, Killer became Nightmare's new lover." Ink says and I nod. "....Killer and I also had a relationship, but after he was killed....I almost corrupted the last golden apple....it hurt so much, until Horror saved me. Our relationship was born from his dust, but I doubt he would have minded. Killer never held any malice against anyone....not even our Ink." I say.

Ink nods. "I've been thinking....If Error will help me, we could make DreamTale Abundant again. I can create, but destruction is something I could never do, no matter what I tried. To kill.......it.....I" Ink says trying not to cry. I pat his knee. "I understand, Ink. As to your idea, We will have to wait until Error is stable again. Right now, he can barely hold back his glitching....too much stress will force him to crash. With you here, a crash could be dangerous" I say. Ink nods. "Because he could forget all about me being a good guy" He says and I nod. "The dolls help him remember who he has lost or those of importance that have died....a record that can't lie" I say and he nods.

Error's POV

I finish the doll and put it next to Killer. I put my kit back under the bed and go to take a shower. Undressing, I look at the scars that covered my body. "Ink...." I say softly, running my hand across one on a rib above my soul itself. My soul pulsed beneath my hand, its scarred surface glowing against my rib-cage. I step into the shower and turn the hot water on max....not that the temperature ever bothered me....my nerves had been numb for so long. I would never feel anything again, with Ink gone......no touch could light those nerves again. If I didn't see the water flowing from the shower head, I wouldn't even know the shower was on. My Ink, in his cruelty, Re-Made my body that way.....so that he would be the only touch I would ever feel.

I never understood why he kept me alive, but his motivation behind freeing me was no secret. He wanted The Misfits to see just how broken he had made me......in an attempt to break them. However, I didn't let them know the extent of the damage, but Killer had guessed. He had helped me cope. A friend that I could talk and cry with. I slam my fist on the shower wall, cracking the tile. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" I yell, each word punctuated with my fist hitting the wall, broken tile falling to the floor. Pixelation starts to pop up over my body as I start to glitch again. I just wanted to move past this like I always have.....but this new Ink....he was standing in the way of that.

It wasn't his fault, I knew that, but his touch was so intoxicating......My Ink failed to completely cut me from feeling. he failed to account for his double from another Multiverse. I rest my skull against the battered wall and try to calm myself. Turning off the water, I leave the shower and dry off. Not bothering to get dressed again, I lay on the bed. A thought crosses my mind and I smile. "You failed Ink....I found someone besides you to share a touch with. Joke's on you, you soulless bastard" I say, turning to lay on my side so I can look at the Ink doll sitting next to Killer. "You lost, Ink....game over" I say and fall asleep with a small smile on my face.

The Next Morning....Ink's POV

I hear the door unlock and I smile a bit seeing Error bring a plate in with him. He looks around at the crumpled up paper balls in the floor. "Did you stay up all night, KiKi?" He asks, putting the plate beside me. I nod. "Why?" He asks. "Couldn't sleep. Needed to draw something. New Creator contacted me last night." I say and crumple up the paper I was drawing on, throwing in the floor before starting over again. Error pulls the chair beside the bed over and sits down. "New creator, huh? What're they planning?" He asks, curious. What I had recovered of my soul fluttered against my rib-cage. "Umm, apparently, this Multiverse is being called Mirrorverse. Mine is considered the original." I say, trying to focus on my work.

I roar in frustration as I crumple that page up as well. "Why is this so hard! I've never had this much trouble before!" I say, frustrated. Error reaches down and grabs one of the paper balls. Uncrumpling it, he hums a little. "Looks like you are attempting to revive DreamTale as it was. Well, I can see your problem" He says and I look at him curiously. "What?" I ask. He grabs my hand, making my soul pulse rapidly. He leads me out of the room. Then, we're suddenly somewhere new. Looking around, I realize that we are in ReaperTale. It looked different from my version, but beautiful all the same. "I knew I sensed a shift in the balance of power" A voice says. I turn to see what looks like Reaper. However, he was robed in white, a flower of gold pinned at his throat.

Error smiles and hugs him. "It's good to see you Life, How is your brother, Rebirth?" Error says, and I'm confused. "Sorry, Ink, I should probably introduce you." Error says stepping to the side. "This is Sans, the god of Life here in ReaperTale. His brother, Papyrus, is the God of Rebirth." Error explains. I rub my head. "Wow, can I just say wow? In my Multiverse, sans and his brother are the gods of death. It's kind of strange to see him in white, but you pull it off." I say and Life chuckles. "Yeah, I can be-" He starts. Error groans. "The LIFE of the party" Life finishes. I find myself snickering. "We're not here for your bad nature or life jokes." Error says and Life tilts his head. "Oh?" He says.

Error hands him the page from earlier. I blush, embarrassed. "It's not my best work...." I say. "Ah...I understand now. This way" Life says and we follow him. "You wish to revive an AU. However, you are focusing on what once was. As the God of Life, I quickly learned this lesson" He says leading us into an area touched by fire, the land still smoking, the ashes only just cooling. I look around at it all, a small frown on my face. "When you try to recreate what once was.....you lose the beauty of what may be. An AU once broken will never be as it was, but it can recover.....recover and become something even more perfect....more beautiful than it was before." Life says.

"This area is not yet ready, Sans" A soft voice says as what I assume to be the Toriel of this world comes up. "I'm not here to work just yet, Toriel. Ink, this is Toriel, Lady of Death. Toriel, this Ink comes from a different Multiverse. He is no threat." Life says and she nods. She wore a black gown trimmed with gold. A hooded cloak hung on her shoulders. "It....is a pleasure to meet an Ink nod bent of changing everything he sees" She says bluntly, keeping her hands within her cloak. I tilt my head. "Pardon me for saying, but you know you could make her an amulet to safeguard others from Death's touch" I say to Life, surprising him. "I can?" He asks and I nod. "Toriel, Life in my Multiverse made one for my Sans. He could still do his job, but he could touch others." I say. "I will look into it" He says and Error teleports us back to Dreamtale.

He smiles for the first time since I met him and my partial soul seems to stop. "You're really something else, you know that?" He says and shakes his head. I look at him confused. "You're so eager to help the Multiverse......not to change, but to nurture it. I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised by you, KiKi" he says as we go back to my room. Error suddenly stops and I look back at him. "Ruru....are you alright?" I ask and he runs toward the Audience Hall. I rush after him suddenly worried. As we enter the Hall, we see a figure that reminds me of my Nightmare, but the slime on this figure shone with a hint of gold. Upon his head was a gold circlet, and one golden eyelight piercing through muck.

"Goodbye, brother..." He says and I don't think, only act. A painful, sickening crack echos in the hall. The figure scrunches up his face in rage at being foiled. "Nightmare!" Horror yells rushing to him. "I...I'm fine, Horror." Nightmare says as Horror helps him up to his feet again. The figure, I assume is Shattered Dream growls and flees through a portal, unwilling to face Error and Horror both. Once the portal closes, I fall to a knee. Error rushes over to me. "Horror, go get Dust! Hurry!" Error says. There's something new in his voice that I can barely recognize....panic. Horror soon returns. "He's gone! He must have escaped with UnderSwap Sans!" Horror says as my vision fades in and out.

"Dust cannot help the damage done......" A voice says from a shadow. Error gets between the shadow and myself, shielding me from them. "If I wanted The Protector dead....." The voice says and a cloaked figure moves swiftly. They're behind me, holding a blade with a paintbrush for a handle to my throat. "I could have already killed him....or anyone here." He says. I recognize the voice. It was deeper......but It was still the same. "P-paperJam...." I say weakly. Everything goes black as I black out from the pain.

Error's POV

"P-paperJam...." Ink said before passing out. The figure makes his weapon vanish before catching Ink. "What do you mean Dust can't help him?" I ask on alert. The figure gently lays Ink on a pile of pillows and kneels beside him. I grab his arm, and it makes a squishing sound in my hand. I automatically remove my hand. "Who are you?" I ask. The figure sighs. "Has anyone told you that you talk way too much?" The figure asks lowering his hood, revealing that he was a skeleton, but not quite one either. His skull had a part that was a liquid that splashed periodically. It was completely black except for two ink stains, one on each side of his face in varied shades of grey. His Eyelights were a pale blue with a yellow and purple center on one side and a pale blue with a yellow center on the other. "Hello, Father"


	5. Chasing A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to help Ink, error makes a journey into the unknown, but will he make it in time?

Error's POV

He was a skeleton, but not quite one either. His skull had a part that was a liquid that splashed periodically. It was completely black, except for two ink stains. One was on each side of his face in various shades of grey. His eyelights were a pale blue with a yellow and purple center on one side and a pale blue with a yellow center on the other. "Hello, Father" he said looking at me. I stared back in shock. "You must be our version of the PaperJam that Ink spoke of" Horror says and he nods. "My tale is not important right now. Ink is in a very bad state" He says as his hand hovers over Ink's chest. It begins to glow and he gently pulls forward. I frown as I watch a soul, well, a part of a soul comes out of Ink's chest.

It was only barely half of a soul, broken up by several colors. What concerned me was the black slime that had attached itself to the broken soul. "The attack was meant for Nightmare.....I.....I never meant for this to happen...." PaperJam says softly, almost a whisper. I frown, about to storm over when Horror grabs my arm, pulling me back. "Error,no, it won't help Ink right now" Horror says as Nightmare comes over. "Horror is right. This......slime, is negative in nature. Any spike in negative energy can make it much worse." He says and gently touches my shoulder. "Calm yourself, old friend. We will do all we can to help Ink" Nightmare says  
I nod as I take a deep breath and center myself.

PaperJam stands up and looks at us. "There is something that can be done to save him. One of you must go to his Multiverse and find Dream. He has enough positive energy to reverse this before it's too late. However, Ink doesn't have long before the slime consumes his soul and....." He trails off as he looks away. I frown, finding it difficult to remain calm. "And what?" I ask, clenching my fists, oblivious to the dust falling from my palms. "He will become corrupted....he will become the same as your Ink was and it will be too late." PaperJam says. His body trembles as he begins to pace. "I didn't mean for this to happen..... I never meant to hurt anyone" he says. I only barely manage to keep myself calm. "You'd better start making sense, PaperJam" I say, as I start to glitch from the stress of the situation. PaperJam looks at me with tears going down his face. "I brought him here.....This is all my fault.....I.....I just wanted to make you both happy again....." He says sadly. I glare at him, but Nightmare's hand on my shoulder reminds me to keep my anger in check.

My eyes narrow. "I'll go.....if I stay, I'll eventually lose my temper. That won't be good for Ink. Without me, he will have a better chance.....Horror, please.....stay with him. You're the most positive person I know." I say and he nods. "Hmmmm Horror's positive energy could stall it for some time, but not forever." Nightmare says and I nod. PaperJam looks at me seriously. "When you have found Dream, locate PaperJam in the other Multiverse. Mention The Crossroads. He will know what to do." He says and I nod. Pulling out a small paint brush, he creates a small pendant that glows brightly. "The glow on this pendant represents Ink's soul. The more of his soul that is consumed, the dimmer it will become" he says as he hands it to me. I nod and slip the chain around my neck. PaperJam opens a portal to Ink's Multiverse. I look at Ink one last time before stepping through it.

OG Multiverse.....UnderFell.....Sans's POV

I was heading home from the ruins. It had been another successful day of lazing about telling knock knock jokes to the lady on the other side of those big doors. Boss really can't complain, even if he did find me goofing off there. If a human did fall, they would have to exit the ruins. It was just common sense to guard the door itself. Suddenly, the air begins to shift. Someone or something was about to open a portal nearby. However, I knew that Blue and Dream were both still recovering from fighting Nightmare's gang. So, I naturally assume it's the kid. "What's that brat doing this time?" I growl as a portal opens out of thin air. "The glow on this pendant represents Ink's soul. The it is consumed, the dimmer it will become." A voice says from the other side as a skeleton walks through to my side.

The portal closes behind him and he shivers. "FUCK! I forgot how fucking cold it is near Snowdin!" The skeleton says as he unties a black and gold hoodie from around his waist. He looks a lot like Error, but it was impossible. Blueberry and Dream told everyone that Ink had finally dusted his ass and showed his clothing as proof. I frown. 'so.....who is this new guy? He looks too much like Error for comfort. Better find out what he's here for.....if he's looking for trouble, he'll get a very bad time' I think as I come up to him. The Not Error puts his hoodie on, but his red and gold t-shirt is still visible. "Hey....BUDDY..... don't ya know how to greet a new pal?" I say and he freezes. "Why don't ya turn around real nice and slow.....and no funny business,got it?" I say, ready to attack if I have to defend myself.

Error's POV

I turn around real slow as instructed. I didn't want to give whoever it was a reason to attack me if I can help it. To my surprise, Red was standing before me. 'I must be in UnderFell.....' I think as Red looks me over. He looks so much....rougher than my red. My red and his brother were an unstoppable Force when they worked as a team back home.....well, until the attack on the Omega Timeline. They had been the example to the rest of us just how twisted my Ink was. Instead of Re-Making them, Ink ordered his deleters to execute them. "Look, BUDDY, I'm not here to harm anyone. I'm looking for help." I say making sure that my hands are clearly visible to the other skeleton.

He doesn't relax, but he does change his stance so that he's not going to attack me at any moment. "My name is Error. I come from a Multiverse opposite of this one. Some time ago,your Ink ended up in my Multiverse." I say hoping he would see reason. I really couldn't afford to fight him, not with Ink in such a state. He thinks a minute. "I'm not saying that I believe ya, but as long as you don't get violent.... neither will I, got it?" He growls and I nod. "Ink is very sick.....in my Multiverse, my Nightmare is a good guy. Ink shielded him from an attack from his sadistic brother, Shattered Dream. The attack left behind slime of a negative nature and it's slowly corrupting him.....if I cannot locate Dream before my pendant loses its glow, your Ink will become worse than any Chara." I say seriously. Red rubs his chin in thought. "Shit.....first, we should get out of this weather. There's a blizzard on the way." He says and I follow him to town.

"It's.....been a long time since I've seen UnderFell like this....." I say as I follow him. Red doesn't look back at me. "What are ya going on about?" He asks as we come to the bridge. An over-sized fence stands, but is useless to keep people out. "In my Multiverse.....The Re-Maker changed everything to his vision of perfection. It... it's not pretty." I say and Red huffs. "I'll have to take your word for it,Error. So..... who's this Re-Maker guy? He sounds like a real nutjob" he says. I don't answer for a few minutes. "He was my version of Ink....and is what your Ink will become if I don't make it back in time with Dream." I say and Red stops to look at me. "Shit..... he's really that bad?" He asks. I nod and show him one of my arms, covered with scars.

"This is just my arm, but the rest of my body, even my soul, is like this. If I am too late, your Ink will not care who you were to him. He WILL capture you.... torture you, and when he has broken you....he might kill you....if he's feeling generous. If not.....he will Re-Make you to suit his desires. The fucked up part is.....that when he is finally finished with you..... you'll be asking..... begging him to do as he pleases with you. And there's nothing you can fucking do about it." I say covering my arm again as I pass red and continue to Snowdin. "Ya talk like ya have personal experience in the matter" Red says catching up. I don't look at him. "I don't want to talk about it.....I just want to save your Ink from becoming that.....that demon." I say as we finally reach Snowdin.

"This is my place. If you're lucky,the Boss won't be home yet. He doesn't care for new faces." Red says and I follow him inside. The smell of tomatoes, spices, and cheese hits my nose, making my mouth water. 'Stars.....I missed that smell' I think as Red frowns. "Shit.....tough luck, Boss is home." Red says. "SANS! IS THAT YOU I HEAR SKULKING ABOUT? MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL AND PICK UP THE LIVING ROOM!" What I assume is Papyrus yells from the kitchen. I look around the living room. 'he calls this a mess?' I think seeing just a sock, a crap ton of sticky notes, and a few empty mustard bottles. "Yeah, yeah, keep your scarf on,Boss. We got company" Red says. "Should we pick it up?" I ask and he shakes his head. "What's the point? It'll be back to being a mess when the AU resets anyways." He says with a shrug.

Papyrus soon comes into the living room looking pissed. "Sans.....who is THAT?" He asks, his voice low and threatening. I involuntarily feel a chill run down my spine. "Easy, Boss. He's just passing through. This is Error. He's from a new AU where the good guys are evil and the evil guys are good." Red says and Papyrus nods as he looks me over. "Well then,it can't be helped. However, I must insist that he join us for dinner. We're having lasagna tonight." Papyrus says and returns to the kitchen. Red looks at me with a shit eating grin on his face. "Maybe ya are more lucky than ya look. Paps likes ya" he says as he slumps onto the couch. I sit down on the other end as Red turns the TV to MTT.

"Huh?" I say and blink a few times. Red sighs. "I said, are you alright? Ya kind of spaced out there for about five minutes." He says. I rub my head, feeling the headache that always follows a crash. "Shit.....yeah, I crashed. It happens from time to time. I've.....been under a lot of stress as of late. I'm actually surprised that I didn't crash sooner." I say and he nods, still a bit concerned. "So, back where ya are from, what are we like?" He asks. "You two were the most powerful team when you work together. Even UnderSwap Sans had trouble and he's as crafty as they come in my.....AU." I say and Red starts to laugh. "T-that's rich! Blueberry? That creampuff is as crafty as I am cute and adorable!" Red laughs, wiping a tear from his eye socket.

"Well, the UnderSwap Sans I know would kill you for insulting him in such a way. That's if he doesn't hand you over to his perverted brother." I say and Red looks at me seriously. "It's not that I don't believe ya. It's just" he says trailing off. I nod. "Hard to see when you've known them a certain way for so long." I say and he nods. "So, you said your versions of us were the most powerful team. What happened?" He asks and I look at the TV. There's some kind of quiz show on. "You and Papyrus were erased from existence by the Ink of my Multiverse. All because you two stood in his way as the Omega Timeline was evacuated." I say. "Wait, Ink doesn't destroy. How did he manage that?" Red asks.

"True, Ink cannot destroy, but he can create machines that can. You and Papyrus in my....AU were the first test subjects for such a machine." I say and Red goes quiet. "DINNER IS READY, YOU TWO LAZYBONES!" Papyrus yells from the kitchen. I get up and follow Red to the kitchen. "Thank you again for your hospitality. I highly appreciate this." I say as I sit at the table. "THINK NOTHING OF IT! WE GET ALL KINDS OF SANSES WANDERING THROUGH OUR AU!" Papyrus says and Red nods. "Yeah, like the Boss said. Bone-a-petite!" Red says making Papyrus groan from the pun. I chuckle and try my food. I'm in heaven. It's been such a long time, but the lasagna is just as I remembered it. "Five stars, Papyrus. It's been.....some time since I last had a meal this good" I say.

Papyrus smiles smugly. "OF COURSE IT'S GOOD! I, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE, PAPYRUS MADE IT!" He says proudly. "Anyways, if you're looking for Dream, ya want to start in DreamTale. That's where he usually rests when he's not helping the Star Sanses fight off Nightmare and his gang." Red says and Papyrus nods. I nod and finish eating. "I apologize for having to eat and run, but time is of the essence." I say standing up. They nod and Red smiles. "Look, ya are always welcome here, as long as ya keep your nose clean." He says with a grin. I nod and open a portal. The pendant dims ever so slightly, reminding me that this trip is not a vacation. I had to hurry. I take one last look at the Fell brothers before going through and closing the portal behind me.


	6. Crossed Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error once again finds himself somewhere other than he intended. He meets more familiar faces hiding malicious intent. 
> 
> Mirrorverse- Nightmare and PaperJam have a talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OG Cross and Chara in this are more comfortable with each other and act as siblings. Chara has decided that its better to work with Cross rather than try and force him to do his will. So, the pair will be a little OOC, but not much.

OG Multiverse..........HorrorTale..........Error's POV

I step out of the portal, once again into the freezing cold. The portal closes behind me as I look around to get my bearings. I groan realizing that I wasn't in DreamTale, as I was planning. "This....is....ridiculous" I say rubbing my forehead. The headache from earlier had not gone away, and was likely to last a while. With a sigh, I head into the local Grillby's thinking I can get an Idea of where the fuck I was. 'My portals must be thrown off due to the change in the Multiverse I was in. I could go AU hopping and hope I get the right one, but that will take time that Ink doesn't have' I think, not noticing the hungry stares of the other monsters as I walk up to the bar and sit down. A figure soon stands in front of me on the other side of the bar. I look up and fall off the stool, startled.

"What the Fuck?" I say managing not to yell as the place explodes in laughter at my antics. The figure tilts his head at me in confusion and I realize that it's the Grillby of this AU. However, his face twisted in permanent agony threw me off and startled me. I sigh and get up. "Sorry bout that. You just startled me there for a moment." I say as I sit back on the stool. Grillby just shrugs and goes back to work cleaning the area behind the bar. I barely feel the air behind me shift before a very familiar voice makes itself known. "Hey, BUDDY, you're in my spot." It says. I don't turn to look at him, not really wanting to see this Multiverse's version of Horror. "Are you deaf or something, PAL?" He asks. "There are plenty of other stools to pick from. So, I suggest you fuck off or have a very bad time, BUDDY" I say not turning around.

Grillby glares at Horror, who is obviously behind me. "Fine, fine, G, I won't cause a scene. Still trying the stains out from the last time." Horror says and sits beside me. Out of the corner of my eye socket, I had a clear view of this Horror. Remembering what Ink said, I remain on guard. The most startling difference between him and my horror was the huge fucking hole in his skull. 'If he's anything like my UnderSwap Sans, I'd better watch what I tell him.' I think as he looks at me with a single red eyelight. "Ya look familiar......are ya related to Error?" He asks as he scratches at the hole in his skull. "Look, I don't really feel like talking." I say and he nods. "Ya recently crashed, didn't ya?" He asks and I nod.

"Error always said crashing was a bitch. Hey G, whip that crash special ya usually make for Error. Put it on my tap" Horror says and Grillby nods. "Why are you being so nice? You don't know me" I say finally looking at him. His clothes were extremely dirty. 'My Horror would burn that outfit and be forced to walk around naked until he got new gear.' I think to myself. Horror taps the edge of his right eye socket as he thinks. "Why? Why not.....besides.....Error. Ya may not be the one from around here, but that doesn't make ya any more free to do as you please. Nightmare's always got a finger on ya soul, no matter where ya popped up from." He says, his red eyelight alight with glee. "And boy will he be surprised when I get ya back." He says as Grillby puts a cup in front of me.

"You really think I will do as your boss says? I am not a puppet. Nor will I be bought. I'm done here" I say and start to leave. "Ya portals are acting funky....aren't they?" Horror says, making me stop and look at him. "What of it?" I growl at him, but it doesn't phase him. His grin only gets wider. "I told ya, Bonehead, Nightmare has his finger on ya soul. Ya can't open a portal anywhere ya want without his say so. Ya will just keep popping up in random AUs. Welp, you could have someone open one for you, but I'm guessing ya don't have many friends right now do ya?" Horror says and hands the cup to me. "So, sit down, relax, and drink the fucking tea. Ya won't be so irritated when that headache is gone." He says and I sit back down. "What's in it?" I ask glaring at it. "Ya don't want to know" He says honestly.

I nod and down it in one gulp, bypassing my taste buds all together. Horror whistles. "Never seen my Error drink it that fast. Should be feeling better soon enough." He says. While my headache did lessen, my vision starts to get blurry. "Oh....one thing about this tea....It always knocked My Error right out. Guess you're no different." He says with a grin. I try to fight it, but it's getting more difficult to stay awake. Horror watches me, amused. "Ya can fight it all ya want, but ya will black out eventually. Just a matter of time now" He says. "Horror, what the fuck are you doing?" A very familiar voice says. I can't really see who is speaking, their form a blur of black and white. I soon collapse in a dead faint. "Wow, new record" Horror says.

Cross's POV

I catch the Error look alike before they hit their skull on the floor. "Aww, you're no fun, Cross!" Horror says and pouts. I glare at him and he flinches. "I'm taking him with me, Horror" I say and sling him over my shoulder. He was surprisingly light for such a big skeleton. "But Croooosssss! I was going to make Nightmare so happy again!" Horror whines. I ignore him and open a portal to X-tale. "You really think it's a good idea to drag home a skeleton we don't know?" Chara asks crossing his arms as he floats beside me. "Better with us than Nightmare" I say and he nods. I walk through the portal. "I'm soooo BONED" I hear Horror say before the portal closes.

X-Tale

I sigh and go into the house. It was the only part of my world that remained. "Well, now we have a reason to go into Papyrus's room." Chara says. "Shut up" I say carrying the unconscious skeleton into Papyrus's room. "Wow, you sure are cranky. What's wrong, Cross? Not get your daily dose of Dream yet?" Chara taunts. I growl. "I said shut up!" I yell. It wouldn't matter how loud I get. The tea this Error had drank would keep him out of it for at least an hour, at the most, three. A light catches my attention and I get a closer look. "What's that? It sure is pretty" Chara says and I nod. It's a pendant that was glowing a soft blue color.

Error's POV 

The black and white blur is above me when I start to wake up. Whoever it is reaches for the pendant, and I grab their wrist. "D-don't touch" I say as my eyes finally focus. The black and white blur turns into Cross, however, his colors are reversed and his right eyelight is red instead of his left. "Take it easy, I'll leave it alone" He says. I try to sit up. "Whoa, take it easy. Horror got you with some pretty strong stuff. It's going to take time to completely wear off" He says and I frown. "But I have to find Dream! Ink doesn't have time!" I say trying to get up. I groan in pain when my legs give out and I fall flat on my face. "I told you to take it easy. Now, what's this about Ink? I can go get Dream, but I need to know what's going on." He says laying me back on the bed, but allowing me to sit up.

"If I'm being honest, I need both Dream and Paperjam." I say and sigh. "Ok, but like I said, I need to know what's going on" Cross says. I look at the pendant, it was a bit dimmer than before. "The glow of this pendant.....it represents Ink's soul.....where I'm from, The Mirrorverse, It completely opposite of this Multiverse. Anyways, Nightmare, Horror, and I were attacked by the evil Star Sanses. Shattered Dream would have killed Nightmare if Ink hadn't taken the hit. However......the attack left behind slime that is slowly trying to corrupt Ink....make him into the Ink I knew....and he doesn't deserve that, no one does." I say and Cross nods. "So, you need Dream to help counter the slime, but why do you need PaperJam?" He asks. "He can get us back to my Multiverse." I say and drift off to sleep again.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale......Nightmare's POV

I walk out onto the balcony to find PaperJam leaning against the railing. "Do you mind if I joined you?" I ask as I come over to him. He shakes his head as he stares at the barren landscape. "Look, I can tell that this is upsetting you. I want you to know that everything will be alright" I say and he looks at me. He's been crying again, that much was apparent. "How can you say that? I messed up, and now Ink is paying for it." He says. I sigh. "Look, I really shouldn't talk about this....It isn't my place, but you sound like you need to hear it. Long ago, before your Father, our Ink went insane, he and Error cared very much for one another. For a while, things seemed to be perfect between them, but as time went on, Ink grew distant." I say looking out at the wasteland.

"Despite Error telling him countless times that he loved him as he was, Ink grew bitter about not having a soul. He blamed the creators for making him as they did. Ink held the power of creation. Yet, he could not recreate his soul. Error and Ink had a fight that shook the Multiverse. However, when everything was said and done, they had both vanished. For a few years, no one knew what became of them. Then, one day, out of the blue, Error was found in OuterTale. He was barely alive when Outer found him, covered in cuts and many of his bones broken. However.....None of that was as bad as the damage on his soul." I say and look at PaperJam. "What happened to him?" He asks both curious and concerned.

I rub my head. "Ink had attempted to force Error to soul bond with him, but Error fought against it" I say making PaperJam gasp. "That.....that's horrible!" PaperJam says and I nod. "No matter how strong Error seems, He is probably the most vulnerable of all of us. It....It was touch and go with him for a while. I had feared that his soul was too damaged.....broken to stay with us for much longer. However, your father, Error, is quite stubborn. He managed to recover enough to continue fighting Ink and to protect the Multiverse, but He could no longer feel the touch of anyone....or anything.....except for Ink. Ink had broken him and re-made him to only feel his touch. For Error, that was possibly the cruelest thing that could have been done." I say.

PaperJam looks back at me. "Why didn't he come back for me? He had to have known that I was born." He asks. I look away. "Error's memory became fractured after what Ink had done. There was stretches of time that Error couldn't recall, while others were clear as day. I believe.....that your creation fell into one of those lost memories. Trust me, PaperJam, if he could have remembered, he would have there for you before you could blink" I say and he nods. "Why did our Ink try to force a bond? He had to have known that it could have killed them both" PaperJam says. "Ink wanted a piece of Error's power, of his soul. With it, he could destroy and create without needing Error or his deleters. However, Error didn't want him to become that powerful. So, he resisted. If he had only known that he would have hurt you in the process." I say.

PaperJam looks away. "For a long time.....I waited for someone to come for me.....but when no one came, I was bitter about it. Like I was just some freak accident and I didn't have a place. I fought for so long to escape my....my home. I tried so hard to escape....to change things.....I accidentally reset the whole Multiverse. It happened several times before I learned how to control my magic, But It still didn't change the fact that I was trapped." He says and I nod. "My advice? Now that you can control it, do not reset. That's one lesson that our Ink never learned. Just because you have a power, doesn't mean that it should be used. Yes, resetting could save this Ink, but it would also bring your father, Ink back as well. People across the Multiverse will suffer as they did all over again." I say.

PaperJam looks at the wasteland of DreamTale again but nods. "Did you see how mad Error was at me? How can I ever fix this?" He says. I gently put my hand on his shoulder and he looks at me. "Just give him time. He's made plenty of mistakes either just as bad or worse than yours. Once he realizes that, he'll calm down again. I have a few questions for you now. If you don't mind, of course" I say and he nods. "I'll try my best to answer for you" He says. I lean on the railing, feeling exhausted again. "What are The Crossroads?" I ask and he looks at me. He sighs. "You know how the Void and the Anti-void are the spaces that fill in the gaps between AUs, right?" He asks and I nod. "The Crossroads is like that but between the Multiverses." He says looking away again.

"The problem with The Crossroads is that it's VERY dangerous. It's not empty like the Void or Anti-Void. It holds back all the negative creations that some creators make to heckle the creators that are better than they are. We PaperJams have been fighting to keep these creations from taking over any of the Multiverses....It's not easy." He says. "Just how many different Multiverses are there?" I ask and he hands me a bottle. "It's just water from HavenTale. It will give you some of your strength back" He says and I nod taking it. "The number of Multiverses is just as numerous as the number of AUs in a single Multiverse. With a new creator, comes a new version of the Multiverse. Some create with art, while the more forgotten creators create by painting with their words. These creators write something called Fanfiction." He says as I take a drink.

As promised, the water does help. "What is fanfiction?" I ask. "It is a story that is written based off a world or idea that already exists. Some use the characters already provided by the world. Some add their own character or OC to the world and write how that OC changes the world around them by just existing. Some create entirely new versions of the story.....just as what happened to make this Multiverse." He says. "You mean to say that this Multiverse..." I trail off. He nods. "It was born from a writer. They are trying their best to get their work known, but.....they cannot draw or paint as the other creators do. Their work seems to fall between the cracks. They can create artwork for their story, but as far as comics go, they have trouble. Comics have always been the main medium for the fandom that we all fall into" He says and I nod.

"I think I understand now. With everything that has been done, It is probably difficult to be original." I say and he nods. "Even this Multiverse has had one story before. Not the same, mind you, but a similar idea." He says and I nod handing him back the bottle. He shakes his head. "Keep it. You already look a bit better than before." He says and I nod. "I should check on Horror and Ink. Just remember, PaperJam, you are still young, much younger than the rest of us. One cannot gain wisdom and experience overnight. You will make mistakes. What makes you a better person is the ability to recognize those mistakes and learn from them. No amount of resets can do that for you" I say and head to Ink's room.

We had moved Ink to his bed to make him more comfortable, as well as to keep him safe if the stars decided to teleport in to finish him off. Opening the door, I see Horror put a cool cloth on Ink's skull. "How is he, Love?" I ask coming in. He looks at me and sighs. "He's remaining stable, but the slime is still spreading. It's slow but it could speed up again." Horror says and I nod, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. He smiles a little. "Someone's feeling a bit better." He says and I chuckle and kiss his neck gently. "Just not so weak right now. PaperJam gave me some water from HavenTale. It seems to be helping" I say and he nods. Horror doesn't say anything for a few minutes. "Nightmare?" He asks, his voice strangely quiet. "Yes love?" I ask a little worried for him. "I'm.....we're......I'm pregnant."


	7. Soul Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror tells Nightmare about Mirrorverse Error
> 
> Dust attempts to abandon Nightmare's gang
> 
> Dream attempts to help Mirrorverse Error with his deepest injuries

OG Multiverse.......Nightmare's Castle.....Killer's POV

I'm walking to the throne room when I spot Horror. He looks to be nervous, and that usually means bad news. "Horror.....what are you doing?" I say making him jump. He looks at me. "OH! Hey Killer! I ummm was just....guarding this wall! Yup!" He says. I blink at him, unimpressed. He sighs. "Ok, I lost an Error to Cross." He says nervously. "You lost a what?" I ask confused. He sighs. "This skeleton appeared in Horrortale out of nowhere. He looked like Error, sounded like Error, but he acted totally different!" Horror says, not seeing Nightmare coming up behind him. "So, what happened to him? You should have brought him straight here, Horror" I say crossing my arms.

Horror claws at his empty eye socket, clearly stressed over what Nightmare is going to do when he finds out. "Well....he had a headache from a crash. So, I offered him that tea Error always drank. Before I could grab him and bring him here, Cross showed up and took him!" Horror says. "And you just let him" I say. Dust falls from the empty socket as Horror claws at it. "Cross was always stronger than me! I couldn't beat him!" Horror says with a pathetic whine. "So, you ran like a coward to return empty handed" Nightmare says right behind him. Horror jumps, startled, only to be grabbed by one of Nightmare's tentacles. "Can you get any more useless, Horror?" Nightmare growls and throws him against the wall.

Dust's POV

I watch the scene play out and I decide to leave before they can stop me. I had been planning this for a while. Grabbing my small bag from my room, I open a portal to UnderSwap. 'I am so done with their crap' I think and walk through the portal and it closes behind me. I smile, happy to be back in UnderSwap again. I missed my little blueberry. I find myself a little past Snowdin and I walk back to town. "Just where do you think you are going, Dust?" Killer's voice says behind me. I teleport just in time a few feet away to avoid being speared by a bone. I glare at him. "What does it look like, Killer? I'm done with the Bullshit. You can tell your lover that I'm done being his pet" I growl.

"You really it's that easy to leave Nightmare behind?" Killer says he makes a grabbing motion with his hand. I cry out as my soul is ripped out of me. I look at it with wide eye sockets as Killer holds it in his hand. "Now......you can do one of two things, Dust. Come home and I can forget this ever happened......or.....You can die here" Killer says and squeezes my soul to make his point. Unbearable pain shoots through my body and I fall to my knees. He comes closer and starts to circle me. "You always thought you were so clever........You forget your place, Dust. It has been and always will be at my feet. Seems you need a reminder." Killer says and drags his clawed finger across my soul, leaving a deep scratch on the once smooth surface. I scream out in agony and curl up, unable to move.

Killer lets my soul return since I can no longer run from him. "So, which will it be, Dust? Option one? Or option two?" Killer says. Suddenly, Killer teleports backwards avoiding the blue shower of bones. "How about the third option? You leave and never come back, Killer." Blueberry says stepping between us as his brother looks me over. Killer shrugs and opens a portal. "It's not like he has long left now anyways......His soul is breaking" He says before leaving, the portal closing behind him. "Papy, how does he look?" Blue asks as he rushes over. "Not good, bro. Killer wasn't lying......His soul is cracking from the deep scratch he left on it." Stretch says and Blue looks extremely worried.

"H-hey......At l-least I got to s-see you....on last time....and at least I'm free again." I say. Blue frowns. "No! You can't die! I won't let you, not from something like this! You're so amazing! You deserve to be dying in a great battle, not flat on your back, Dust!" Blue says as he cries. "BLUE! Oh thank goodness we caught up with you!" Toriel says with Frisk beside her. "Oh my.....Blue....do you really love him?" She asks, her eyes on my soul. "I do....more than anyone besides Papy....." He says wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "And what about you, Dust? Are you really ready to give up?" She asks. "Fuck no......I...I w-want to stay with b-blue" I say weakly. Toriel smiles a little. "Then, you two should soul bond." She says.

Papyrus looks at her like she grew another head. "Toriel!" He says blushing over what she suggested. "Papyrus, he doesn't have time for this. Bonding with blue will provide the stability his soul needs to recover. I don't see what the issue is here. They both clearly love each other." She says and Papyrus sighs. "Do it, bro." He says and blue nods. Toriel covers Frisk's eyes. She was still too young to be watching something so intimate. Blue brings out his beautiful baby blue soul. I smile weakly. "I thought I would have more time to be lazy.....take you out to dinner, catch a bad movie, walks in the park." I say and he allows our souls to connect. His soul soothed the pain in my own somewhat, his magic filling in the cracks that had formed.

"Ok, Bro, that's enough. You two have the beginnings of a soul bond. It will keep him stable until his soul heals. Then, you two can seal the deal. Right now, Dust's soul won't be able to handle a full bond." Stretch says and we nod. Stretch gently picks me up and my eyes feel heavy. "Get some rest, dust. You need sleep to help in the recovery. Don't worry...you can use my bed for now. Not like the couch isn't comfortable" He says as he starts back towards town. "I got your bag" Blue says, staying close. It felt better to have him so close. "Or, I could let you sleep with Blue. His bed is big enough for me to cuddle with him. So, it should be big enough for the two of you." Stretch says. Toriel nods. "And the closer you are together, the faster Dust may recover" Toriel says.

Mirrorverse.......DreamTale.......Horror's POV

"Nightmare? Are you ok?" I ask and turn to look at him. He blinks and nods. "Yes, Love, just a bit surprised." He says and nuzzles my neck. I giggle, my neck being sensitive. "Are you....happy?" I ask and I can feel him smile against my neck. "Of course I am.....I never thought I would be so fortunate....." he says and looks at me with a soft smile. "I love you....so very much, Horror" Nightmare says and kisses me. I gently put my forehead against his and just stay there like that for a few minutes. I then go to check on Ink again. "Well, our explosion of positivity seems to have stopped the spread for now, but I don't know for how long." I say looking at Ink's soul. Nightmare nods. "I have faith that Error will return in time." he says.

Shattered Dream's Castle.....Shattered Dream's POV

I smack Cross across the throne room, my fury at its peak. "Who the fuck was that anyways! Nightmare would be dead right now!" I roar in rage. Cross just gets back up, his eyes blank as always. It had been nice at first, having Cross without that mouth of his always pissing me off. However, now I was missing that smart mouth. "What's wrong, Dream, You look.....Rattled" A voice says in the shadows. "Fuck off, Blueberry" I growl, earning a growl in response. "DO NOT CALL ME BLUEBERRY!" He yells as he comes into view. His black and blue armor glinting darkly. "Then do not call me Dream. Some fucked up version of Ink prevented me from killing Nightmare. He took the attack." I say.

Blue smirks. "I do not see why this upsets you. This....change of target actually can work in our favor" He says with a smile. Dust pokes his head from behind Blue. "I thought I told you to keep your pet out of my sight" I growl. Blue holds up his hand. "Easy there, Shattered. He's more useful than just companionship. Aren't you, Pet?" Blue says and Dust nods. "Your attack....it will start to corrupt this new Ink. He'll eventually become like our Ink. He will seek you out again, just as he did before to regain the soul he lost." Dust says, still behind Blue like the good little pet he was. I pace around, thinking about the potential here. "The Misfits won't let him become corrupted so easily. By now, my brother likely has them working at a way to save him" I say.

"Then, we attack them again. This time, we take this new Ink from them. Preventing them from helping him." Blue suggests. I glare at him. "They almost dusted us the last attack, just to retrieve your PET!" I roar at him. Blue doesn't flinch. "Have you forgotten your own PET so easily?" Blue says, not affected by my rage. "We can allow him to revert back to normal......and send him running back to his friends.....then, reactive his slave code again. He can bring Ink to us" Blue suggests. I glare at him. It had been hard work to break Cross and frisk both in order to make him compliant. I was not so keen on having to repeat the process. "No. It's too much of a risk. There's no sure way to know that the coding can be re-established once he's free." I say.

OG Multiverse..........X-Tale........Error's POV

I wake up later to silence. I get up, finding that my body responded to me again as it should. I head downstairs. "Cross?" I call out, but no one answers. Looking out the window, I freeze seeing nothing but white outside. The AU empty, blank space. "X-Tale has been this way for some time" a voice says making me jump and instinctively use my strings to tie up the owner of the voice. "Whoa! Easy Pal!" What looked to be Dream says hanging from my strings. He looked a lot like Nightmare, but wore gold and white clothing. He wasn't covered in slime either. "Sorry.....you just" I say and let him down again. "It's fine. I shouldn't have startled you like that." He says and stands next to me.

I look outside again. "Cross went to find PaperJam. That kid gets around even more than Ink does." Dream says. "......did Cross explain the situation?" I ask and he nods. "I'm sure I can reverse the affects of the slime, but his soul may still be damaged beyond repair. Ink's soul has been slowly healing from his escape from his original AU, but now, this may break it even further." Dream says and I look at him. "He deserves to heal...." I say and Dream nods. "I can do it, but....It's not that simple. Too much emotion at once could drive Ink insane." Dream says. 'Is that what happened to my Ink? He was so set on getting his soul back.....that he had Shattered Dream force it back too soon?' I think.

"No, you're right. That's exactly what happened with my Ink......He was never the same after that......He was too far gone to reason with....." I say trying my best not to cry in front of this Dream. Even though I didn't feel his hand on my shoulder, I could feel the sense of calm his touch washed over me. ".....thanks...." I say and he nods. "You were starting to glitch out there. Couldn't let you crash over this" He says and I nod. ".......can you reverse what your brother did to your Error? I can't open my portals without his say because of it" I ask. He thinks a moment. "I can, but it would involve baring your soul to me. Do you think you can handle being so vulnerable to me after everything you've been through?" He asks.

I think a few minutes. "......It...won't be easy, but yeah....." I say and he nods. "Come, it will be best if you are laying down." He says and we go back to the room I woke up in earlier. He has me lay back on the bed. ".....tie me down....I don't want to hurt you by reflex" I say and he nods, using his magic to restrain me. "You need a safe word. Something to tell me to stop if it becomes too much for you. I will automatically stop" Dream says. I think a moment as the restraints tighten, preventing me from moving. "Void" I say and he nods. "I will have to warn you....this may be painful. Healing a soul is tricky business." Dream says and I nod. "Are you ready?" He asks and I nod.

He gently brings out my soul and gasps at the state its in. "I...I'm so sorry......" He says, tears starting to pool at the corners of his eye sockets. "For what? You didn't do any of this. Most....most of it was because of my Ink.....he did this to me...." I say ashamed of every scar on the surface of my soul. "I...I can heal some of this too...if you wish." He says making my eyelights look at him again. "The scars won't be completely gone, but the ill effects from the attempted forced bond will be." Dream says and I nod. "I...I'd like that...." I say somehow able to trust this Dream. Perhaps it was because he acted so much like my Nightmare. "Don't forget, Error. If it becomes too much for you to handle, use the safe word. Do you remember it?" Dream asks making sure I remembered. "Void" I say and he nods.

I didn't know what to expect when Dream started to heal my soul, but the pain was there, just as he said. It wasn't unbearable yet, but it did trigger memories to flit across my mind as my eyes glitched over. My body thrashed violently on its own, the memories triggering the responses from my time with my Ink. I could remember it all almost too clearly, and the pain that had happened. Every cut....every break....was once again fresh in my mind. "I am going to break you, Error.......Then, I will make you so much better than you ever were.....Your creator failed you just as mine failed me......." the Dark, smooth baritone of my Ink's voice washes over me.

Dream's POV

I tremble as I try to heal the damage to Error's soul. The flood of negative emotion surprised me, causing me to pant as I fought to strip it away from the injuries. Cross soon comes into the room, but says nothing. "He did ask for this, right?" He asks and I nod. Cross gently wraps his arms around me from behind. His touch...his presence already helping ease my discomfort at so much negative emotion. "No.....Ink....please....stop STOP!!!" Error screams as his body continues to thrash against the binds. "Dream....what the fuck?" Cross says horrified. "It's just a memory triggered by my healing. He has a safe word he can use anytime, Love. I'm not that reckless." I say and Cross nods.

"Did you find PaperJam?" I ask. "Not yet....that brat can remain hidden if he doesn't want to be found." Cross says and I nod. "It's probably for the best for now. I doubt Error will be able to move for a bit after this......Stars, Cross....there....there's so much pain.....so much negativity. How did he live with it all?" I cry managing to strip more of it away. "He's a warrior, Dream. He's learn to adjust and survive" Cross says. I nod and find a large black speck on Error's soul. "Shit....Dream...is that?" Cross asks and I nod. "An alteration of the soul itself...... Not even my brother is that twisted......." I say. "Can you reverse it?" Cross asks. "Honestly....I don't know. It will depend on the intent that was put behind it." I say and Cross nods.

With a trembling hand, I gently touch the speck, which causes Error to shriek. However, he doesn't use the safe word. "Please......Please......KiKi....don't do this to me.....I....I love you.....please...." Error says as gold tears flood from his eye sockets. I cry with Error. This must hurt so much....but I can't stop....not unless I want to start over. "You got this, Dream, you can save him" Cross encourages me and I nod. Using my magic, I burn away the speck, managing to strip it away. Error lets out a god awful shriek and crashes, the pain too intense from me having to force the speck free of his soul. His body goes limp against the restraints. "Dream....is it...are you done?" Cross asks, his eyes focused on Error. I nod and i suddenly feel so weak, tired from the process of helping error. "You should sleep now, Dream." Cross says and I nod. "After y-you get me to bed, untie him. It will only freak him out when he wakes up......" I say and Cross nods as he picks me up bridal style. "Rest, love. You did good today."


	8. Blue Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon learning the truth about a traumatic even in his past, UnderSwap Sans makes a choice that could determine the fate of the Mirrorverse

Mirrorverse.......UnderSwap Palace......Blueberry's POV

I look out at UnderSwap from a balcony. Dust stood beside me, unsure of what to say. "And you are certain that this is correct?" I say. "Yes, My Lord. Ink set it all up. Toriel finally broke her silence." Alphys says. I clench my fists. "You may go, Alphys.....I must....process this new information." I say and she bows before leaving. "So....only after you dust.....do I finally know the truth" I say. "My Lord?" Dust asks a little worried. I sigh. I had never intended to allow anyone this close to me again. "It's...it's nothing, Dust......" I say and I feel his hand on mine. My eyes narrow. Dust is getting bold as of late. He knows that I don't like being touched unless I want it. Right now is not one of those times.

"My Lord....please, let me help you" Dust says, holding one of my hands. "I can't....." I say staring at UnderSwap again. Dust frowns. "Why, My Lord? You-" I cut him off. "Because I can't lose you too!" I yell, not meaning to. I put a hand to the right side of my face. The cracks a painful reminder of that day....the day everything changed....the day I met Ink for the first time. "My...My Lord..." Dust says, obviously in shock over my outburst. I look down. "I....I'm sorry, Dust......" I say, making him worry even more. I've never apologized to him before. "Do you know if they still have the gemstone?" I ask. Dust didn't need elaboration to know who I was speaking of. "I am certain of it, My Lord" Dust says and I nod.

DreamTale......Nightmare's POV

After so many years, I never thought he would contact us. "Nightmare, this sounds too good to be true! It has got to be a trap" Horror says worried. He had every right to be worried. UnderSwap Sans was hard to gauge. He let nothing slip, no emotion, no insecurity. "OuterTale is a neutral zone. It was agreed a long time ago that it was a place for both sides to talk." I say. Horror grabs my hand. "I still don't think you should go alone." He says. I kiss his forehead. "I know, but I need you here to watch over Ink. If this is a trick, they'll be coming for him." I say and he nods. Horror wraps his arms around my waist. "I...Just be careful, Love" he says and I nod.

"My question is why now? What changed to make UnderSwap Sans change? True, he's the kindest of the Stars, but he's not stupid." I say and Horror nods. "Just please....be careful, Nightmare." Horror says letting me go. "I will be, I promise." I say gently touching his face. "We've already lost so much...." Horror says and I nod and kiss his forehead again. "Try to get some rest, Horror. You shouldn't stress yourself out too much." I say. "I'll try...." Horror says and I get ready to leave to OuterTale. A million different possible outcomes pass through my mind as I grab my cloak. UnderSwap Sans said that he would only have Dust with him. UnderSwap Sans, despite being with The Star Sanses, was very honorable. I open a portal and vanish through it. "Please, Nightmare, stay safe"

OuterTale.......Blueberry's POV

I am looking at the earth when a portal opens and Nightmare steps through. The portal closes behind him. I don't look at him as he comes to stand beside me. "So....the rumors are true then? Ink is gone......and there's another Ink." I say and he nods. "He is no threat to you. He's in a coma." Nightmare says and I nod. "I'm not here to discuss Ink.....at least not that one." I say and Nightmare looks at me. "I don't know what is going on, but this better not be a trick, san-" I cut him off. "Blue....you may call me Blue.....And it's no trick. Something.....something has just come to light that I can not stand for. Something our Ink took from me......Something I should have seen from the beginning." I say, clenching my fists.

"Oh?" Nightmare says, his tone curious. ".......If Ink had never come to me....we would have been allies from the start........I know I cannot erase what I have done.....but I have an Idea of how I can start making up for it." I say and look at Nightmare. Nightmare frowns. "Blue...." He starts to say. "Killer is alive" I say making Nightmare look at me in a mix of shock and confusion. "But how can that be? Horror saw him turn to dust" Nightmare says. "One of the more well kept secrets of our Ink is his ability to create doubles of anyone. These doubles possess no soul, but can be very convincing. Ink captured Killer to break him like he did Error...." I say and Nightmare looks confused again.

I look at him. "Error never told you? That's not surprising......He probably didn't want to be forced to just watch in this fight." I say looking back at the earth. "Blue....what all did Ink do to him?" He asks. I rub my chin. "When he failed to force Error to bond with him....Ink altered Error's soul itself." I say making Nightmare frown again. "I knew that Ink was twisted, but I never thought he would go that far." Nightmare says and I nod. "This....alteration.....It prevents Error from feeling any form of touch....unless it is Ink's touch. Not only that though....If Error ever managed to kill our Ink, the Spot of his soul that is altered will begin to rot.......spreading negative energy like what is happening to the new Ink. That bit was Shattered Dream's handy work." I say and Nightmare looks very concerned.

"Error's no longer in this Multiverse. He went to the other one to retrieve Dream to help the new Ink." Nightmare says. I frown. "For his sake, I hope Dream can help Error before he enters The Crossroads.....That places feeds on negativity and Pain." I say. "How do you know about The Crossroads?" He asks. "I've been there before....our Ink threw me in when I first joined the Star Sanses to make me stronger." I say and touch the cracks on my face. "The beings there....will kill you if you are not strong enough to fight back....I almost did not survive" I say and Nightmare nods. "You mentioned Killer is alive. Where is he? Is he alright?" Nightmare asks. 

"I wouldn't say that he's alright, but he's a lot better now than our Ink is dust. He's being held prisoner by Shattered Dream at his castle in Deltarune." I say and Nightmare nods. "That will be a problem....my brother's castle is well fortified. Even at full strength, we have never been able to get inside." Nightmare says. I nod, thinking. "Shattered doesn't knew yet that I plan to betray him. I may be able to get Killer out......or I can lay a claim to him now that our Ink is gone. Shattered Dream may be sadistic, but he's still a coward." I say and Nightmare nods. "I don't like it. My brother also has Cross. Even with you at your best, Alone, you are still outnumbered." He says. "I've fought worse odds." I say and Dust whimpers beside me. 

"That may be, but you are now an ally, and we stand together. After the current situation is handled, and everyone has recovered....then we will attack my brother." Nightmare says. I nod and look at the Earth again. "May...May I ask what changed your mind?" Nightmare asks. "Long ago....while I was still young and foolish....well, more foolish than I am now, I had a lover" I say and Dust looks at me surprised. "She was everything I could have ever wanted......then She was executed for treason against the queen in UnderSwap......Turns out that our Ink was the one that organized her death....." I say and Nightmare nods. "I am so sorry....Ink has caused much pain in this Multiverse" He says.

I nod. "Had I had known, I would have never accepted his offer......Perhaps, in a way....It's better that I didn't know. I am stronger than I ever thought I would be.....and now, The Misfits will no longer suffer from lack of supplies. You need it, you have it" I say and Nightmare nods. He looks at Dust and sighs. "I can be willing to forgive Dust. His soul was in the right place.....We really need his help though. Horror is pregnant and he hasn't rested since he started watching over the new Ink." Nightmare says. I look at Dust. He looks at me, unsure of what to do. "That...is up to Dust. He is my lover, not my pet." I say and Dust smiles. "I'll go back." He says and I nod. "A shipment of supplies and such will be sent with Dust as soon as I can get it together. I have to inform the AUs I control of the changes. Most likely, this will be very popular." I say and Nightmare nods.

OG Multiverse......Error's POV

I wake up to a weird sensation all over my body. It wasn't uncomfortable....just strange and a bit unsettling. Moving my arms, I find that I am not longer restrained. "Take it easy, Error. You were pretty fucked up." Cross says and tosses me a red apple. "How long have I been out?" I ask as I catch it. The apple felt smooth in my hands.....felt.....I could feel again? Cross chuckles. "Bet it's unsettling....being able to feel and touch things again. The blankets against your bones, the air on your ribs, the apple in your hand. Take your time to adjust." Cross says and I realize that I'm still shirtless. "Wanted to let you wake up on your own. That last bit.....It caused you to crash pretty bad. Dream's still out of it too. You've been out for two days. The pendant is still glowing pretty strong. So, don't worry." He says and I look at it.

As Cross said, the glow was as steady as before. "Something good must have happened to stall the progress" I say and Cross nods. "Don't try to get up just yet. You're soul needs to recover. There was a lot of negative energy attached to the injuries. Both you and Dream need to recover. Negative energy is very bad for Dream in extreme amounts. Besides, I still haven't located PaperJam yet. That kid's more slippery than Nightmare when he wants to be" Cross says and I nod. "So...what's Dream like where you come from?" He asks. "Imagine if Dream ate one of Nightmare's apples and you have your answer" I say sitting up. Cross shivers at the thought. 

Two Days later.....Error's POV

"You can't be serious! You're not fully recovered!" Dream says as I get ready to leave. I glare at him. "Look....Ink doesn't have long, and I've already wasted enough time as it is on my back. Whatever these Crossroads are, I can't just sit around for some brat to stop hiding." I say and tie my hoodie around my waist again. I was quickly losing both my patience and my temper, both of which were much shorter now after being healed. Cross gently grabs my shoulder, making me jump. "Look, we understand, we do, but....I've heard about the Crossroads once. Nightmare used to talk about them like it was some kind of Eden to him. If Nightmare thinks that way about a place, It's got to be a very dangerous place" Cross says and Dream nods.

"And it's an unknown. It's best to be rested up and ready to fight if needed." Dream says. I sigh and sit on the bed. "Fine....but if the glow gets too much dimmer, I'm going, kid be damned" I say and they nod. I start to tremble and Dream gently takes my hands as he sits across from me. "I knew you were pushing it. Your soul is still too weak. Please rest, Error. I know someone that's an expert on soul healing. I would do it, but I need to recover if I am to save Ink" He says and I nod. Cross looks at him. "Dream....." Cross says and Dream shakes his head. "Of course not.....he can't be trusted. Just imagine if X-Gaster found out there's multiple multiverses as well. We can't risk him finding out." Dream says.

"You could always call on Dadster" A voice says putting Cross and Dream both on edge. "What the hell are you doing here, Nightmare?" Cross growls. "I was in the neighborhood.....that wave of negative energy was simply delicious. Anyways, The Crossroads are no laughing matter. If PaperJam is missing....that's probably where he's at. There are dark forces there that he and other PaperJams have been fighting off." He says leaning against a wall. "And what makes you so accomidating? Your aid is never free, Nightmare" Cross says. A look flashes across his face before it's gone again. "Without Positive energy, there can be no negative. I want to make sure Dream makes it back in one piece." He says surprising Dream. "Brother....." Dream says. Nightmare looks away. "I can take you there....but not until you are recovered. So....rest up, Error" Nightmare says before leaving the room.

Dream's POV

I look at Cross and follow my Brother. "Nightmare, please....please wait....Brother" I say as I catch up to him. He stops in the living room. "What's wrong? You never cared about the balance before. Why now?" I ask grabbing his arm. Instead of being coated with slime, my magic burns it away, revealing my brother's hand as I grab it. "......Don't you understand, Dream. The power was never in the apples.....it was inside us all along. The tree just safely drained the extra magic to make the apples......I never understood until you healed this Error. I always thought....that the tree really didn't need me......that you were strong enough to protect it.....I can't tell you how many times I thought about running away.....about leaving DreamTale....about being free." He says.


	9. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch finally tells Blue everything in the OG Multiverse.
> 
> Nightmare returns with an old friend and good news
> 
> Mirrorverse Error still cannot forgive or forget

OG Multiverse....UnderSwap......Blueberry's POV

I am watching over Dust when Papy comes into the room. He sighs and leans against the wall. "How is he doing?" He asks. "He's stable....just like Tori said he'd be." I say and Papy looks at me concerned. "But?" He asks and I shake my head. "Just some things I have to sort out for myself, Papy.....I knew he had done bad things. He never kept his past and what he had done from me. It....It's just one thing to be told....another to feel the fear that drove him to start killing, the pain he felt at first with each friend he lost, the rage at his anomaly for driving him to do it...." I say and Papyrus puts his hand on my shoulder. 'When did he move?' I wonder a little, surprisingly on edge.

Papyrus notices my unease and lets go. "I knew....I knew this would happen, Blue. You'll never be the same again....." He says. I frown at him. "And what the heck is that supposed to mean?" I ask, feeling a little angry despite myself. Papyrus sighs and rubs his head. "Bro, you need to calm down. I didn't mean anything bad by it.....I just wasn't ready for you to lose what innocence you had left.....I wasn't ready for you to.....not need me anymore" He says sadly and I stare at him in shock. "Paps.....Just because I'm going to bond with Dust.....that doesn't mean that I don't love you or still need you in my life." I say and he smiles a bit and then sighs.

"Dust will be fine for now, come on. There's something I need to show you. Undyne said she'd sit with him while we're out." Papyrus says and I nod, feeling curious. There's a knock on the front door and Papyrus goes to answer it. I make sure that Dust is comfortable before I go downstairs. "Thank you for coming so short notice, Undyne" Paprus says and Undyne brushes him off. "You may have become the Royal Judge, but you are still my mentor and the Royal Scientist, Papyrus. I may have that title now, but you still have command." She says as I come up to them a bit confused. "Papyrus....what is she talking about?" I ask and he sighs. "Not here, Blue....." He says and takes my hand. Suddenly, we're in Hotland.

I look around confused even further, and oddly curious. "Papyrus....why are we in Hotland?" I ask. He walks up to a door....one that's been locked for as long as I can remember and the door opens for him. "Blue, please, just.....just follow me....." He says and I follow him into the building. I've never been inside Undyne's lab before.....well, not that I could remember. Papyrus had made it a point to keep me out of Hotland unless I was training with Alphys. The inside was pretty straightforward. Clean, clinical white walls and similar floors. Boxes and piles of paperwork here and there. Papyrus stops at an elevator. Pulling out what looks to be a key-card, he uses it to activate the elevator along with putting in a code.

He has me get into the elevator when it opens and follows in behind me. "Papyrus.....what's going on? I...I don't like this place" I say honestly. I felt a swell of fear within me. Papyrus sighs in what seems to be relief. "At least you remember that much.....makes it a bit easier to explain.....where we came from" He says confusing me again. "Papyrus....what are you talking about?" I ask even more confused. Papyrus sighs and soon stops before what looks like an empty cell. I look into the cell and feel even more scared, but strangely at ease. "Let's keep moving...." He says and I follow him deeper into the lab. "Papyrus, what is this place?" I ask, a little scared to find out the answer.

He soon stops in a room with two huge tanks in it. "This was where we were....created, Blue" He says touching one of the tanks. "Paps....what are you-" I start to ask before he gently takes my right hand and removes the glove, revealing the plate permanently stuck on the back of my hand. "W.D.G......S-2" Papyrus says, reading the plate before going to the tank on the right. At the bottom was an old clipboard. Papyrus picks it up and hands it to me. "S-2 seems to be making progress, unlike P-1. Perhaps it is for the best that two were created by the experiment. P-1's development is not up to the standards needed for future testing. All of my hard work and sacrifice rests in S-2. If P-1 does not improve....I will be forced to end P-1 and continue with S-2 alone" I read, not understanding just how I could read the font.

I look up to see Papyrus shaking with rage. "Papyrus.....What? What is this?" I ask even more scared. "You...you are S-2, Sans....I am P-2" He says not looking at me. "We were created to be weapons....a way to break the barrier.....the things....the things he did to us, I'm glad everyday that you can't remember....." He says. I frown. "That cell...." I say and he nods. "Was our home for many years.....most of that time....pain and fear were our companions, but no matter what he did to us....you never gave up on him....you always believed that he could change. You never stopped looking for the good in others, Blue." Papyrus says picking up a piece of paper. "Papyrus....who made us?" I ask and he rubs his head.

"His name was W.D. Gaster.....It took a long time for me to remember myself.....When he....when I....." He looks away. I reach out and touch his arm. He was trembling. "Papyrus...." I say. He looks at me sadly. "He was never going to stop, Blue......I....I had to stop him....." He says and I start to understand what he had done. Chara had asked about Gaster a few times, but I didn't know the answers. I had asked Papyrus, but he had always dodged or changed the topic. "Paps......there was no other way....right?" I ask and he nods. "There's something you should see....but it might jog your memory.....are you ready to face that?" He asks and I nod.

He takes me to a room. It was empty save a chair that had restraints on the armrests. I begin to tremble. "Blue......." Papyrus says and gently touches my shoulder. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" I yell and run from the room. Papyrus only sighs and follows me. He soon finds me in the cell, curled up in a corner of it. He sits down beside me. "Blue.....he was never going to change.....no matter how much we begged.......he would have found some way to convince Toriel that we were a threat so he could continue to hurt us." Papyrus says. "That doesn't make it right......" I cry. "No....but it was the only option for us to finally be free, Blue" He says and I nod. "Undyne....said that you were the Royal Scientist once" I say and he nods.

"I was researching how to....well....that's not really important...." He says. "It is!" I say sitting up to look at him. "No more lies, Papyrus. No more secrets" I say and he sighs. "I was researching how to stop the resets for good. You already know what resets are. However.....Chara has been keeping her word, and we don't have to worry about a reset anymore. So, my work as the Royal Scientist doesn't matter anymore." He says and I nod. He gets up and brushes himself off. "There's......there's one other place you need to see, Blue" Papyrus says and holds his hand out to me. By this time, I had put my glove back on. I take his hand and we teleport again.

This time...we were in the hall before Toriel's throne room. "I...I remember this place....Undyne brought us through here after....after Gaster died" I say and Papyrus nods. He lets go of my hand and kneels down at a spot in the middle of the hall. "You once asked me.....what I had nightmares of......" He says and stands up again. "It used to be of what Gaster did to us....but when Chara first appeared.....so many timelines ago......it was of this room....of the genocide runs that Frisk had pushed Chara into completing....." Papyrus says and I find myself scared again. "Papyrus....." I say. "It all seems like a bad dream now, doesn't it?" Chara says leaning against a pillar. Papyrus nods. "A very bad one, Kiddo" He says and Chara rolls her eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore, Papyrus" She says coming over.

I look at them, now even more confused. Chara sighs. "Blue....I....I could never make up for what I've done.....I will never stop feeling my sins crawling on my back...." She says looking away. "Chara......what are you talking about?" I ask. "She's killed you before, Blue......she's killed everyone before" Papyrus says making me look at Chara. "I'm not proud of it.....my curiosity over all my morals.....that what if at the edge of my mind. Frisk used it once I had began to drive me into genocide until she eventually took over my body. For many timelines....she used my body to kill our friends....until Papyrus was finally able to break through to me....." Chara says leaning against a pillar again. 

"Took a lot of blood to get there though, Kiddo....yours and mine both." Papyrus says. Chara nods. "In the end, it was always the same....Me and Papyrus in this very hall fighting to the death.....sometimes I would kill him.....but most of the time, Papyrus ended me." Chara says and I nod. It was surprising to hear that Chara had done such bad things, but I was glad that she had become better. "Well.....that part of the past....is the past. You're a better person now" I say and Chara nods. "And...there's something else, Blue" Papyrus says hugging Chara from behind. It takes only a moment for it to click and I smile big. "I knew you two liked each other!" I say happily as they chuckle.

Mirrorverse........DreamTale....Horror's POV....

I hug Nightmare, relieved to see him perfectly fine. "Oh Horror....I told you It would be fine" He says rubbing my back. Despite myself, I can't help but to cry in relief. "I was so worried" I say. "I know...." He says and I notice Dust coming in with supplies. "What is he doing back here?" I ask. Nightmare smiles softly. "Easy, Horror, He's on our side again, along with UnderSwap Sans. That's what Blue wanted to talk about. He's done with the fighting. We now have his full support. Dust is here to help watch over not only Ink, but you as well" He says and I look at him confused. "Me?" I ask and he nods. "We both know that you should be resting, Horror. Dust is going to make sure you get it." Nightmare says and I nod with a sigh.

"......There's something else too....." Nightmare says, unsure of how to tell me. I gently touch his face. "Nightmare....love, what is it? You can tell me" I say and he takes my hand and kisses it gently. "....Killer is alive" He says unsure of how I am going to react. I stand there, stunned. 'could he be.....how....I saw' I think. "Horror.....love, talk to me" Nightmare says and holds me close. "....How.....I saw....my fault...." I say starting to cry. "No...Horror, no it was never your fault." nightmare says and I push him away and go into the audience hall. I couldn't stay near Nightmare right now. I felt like yelling at him.....like breaking something or someone. 

"Horror...." A voice says and I activate my blue magic, making Dust float in the air. "Horror, you need to calm down. This isn't good for the baby" Dust says, more worried for me than himself. "How? How could it not be my fault, Dust?" I yell and he sighs. "Horror, we all know just how twisted our Ink was. He made a double of Killer to come for you. Ink had already captured Killer. That double is what our Ink killed, not our Killer. Please....just calm down....Please....." Dust begs and for a split moment.....I felt like killing him.....for his betrayal....for what his lover had done to us.....then I put him down as I sink to the floor, crying.

Dust comes over and gently touches my shoulder. "It's ok, Horror, Everything will be ok." Dust says. "How? I...I almost killed you, Dust! I almost killed you and would have been happy doing it!" I say and he sighs. He hugs me. "Negative emotions and urges are to be expected since it's Nightmare's child you are carrying. Being able to recognize and control these urges is what makes you a good person, Horror. I do not hate you for it. So, please don't hate yourself and calm down." Dust says and I nod, starting to calm down again. I suddenly felt so tired. "Let's get you to bed. You're a pregnant skeleton after all. You've been pushing yourself too hard" Dust says and I nod. "Is....is Nightmare alright?" I ask and he nods. "Just worried about you."

OG Multiverse.....X-Tale.....Error's POV

I really didn't know what to think of the Gaster they called Dadster. He was....different from what I was expecting. Back home, the only kind Gasters I knew was X-gaster and the gaster from the Omega Timeline. "Well, shall we get this issue dealt with, or do you want to hear more horrible jokes?" He asks and I lay down again. I was really getting tired of being on my back lately. "Alright, Let's see what can do here" Dadster says and gently removes my soul. It's the first time I've seen it since Dream healed it and it already looked better than before. The scars were still there, but the surface had smoothed out again. "Dream did well in what he could heal. However, there seems to be some remained injuries deeper within. May I?" He asks and I nod.

Dadster gently prods at my soul, causing an unpleasant sensation. He frowns and lets my soul return to where it belongs. "I am sorry, but this is something not even I can fix.....well, I could, but your guilt will only make it return. Whatever you have to feel guilty for.....you need to forgive yourself to allow yourself to heal" He says and I sit up. "That's not gonna happen......I've wasted enough time here....." I say and head to the door. "I told you that he wouldn't wait." Nightmare says coming out of the kitchen with Dream. "The glow is half as bright as when I started. I can't afford to waste anymore time." I say and they nod. "Cross won't be joining us. In his condition, it's way too risky for him." Nightmare says, making Dream blush.

I snort in an attempt not to laugh. "You guys are adorkable" I say and Nightmare chuckles. "That they are. I'm coming instead." He says. "Brother....." Dream says. Nightmare shakes his head. "I'm not going over this again with you, Dream. We're stronger when we fight as a team. And I'm not going to lose you....not again....." Nightmare says, making me look at him strangely. 'What is He not telling us?' I think as he opens a portal, but we cannot see to the other side. the portal is covered by a thick fog of darkness. "If you want to give up, now is the time" Nightmare says. I growl and storm through.


	10. The Crossroads and The Nexus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue is finally told the truth about why he isn't a Royal Guard yet.
> 
> Mirrorverse Killer escapes with some help
> 
> Error, Dream, and Nightmare find out about The Nexus

OG Multiverse.......UnderSwap.....Blueberry's POV

I watch over Dust, unable to sleep. Everything from the past week was going through my mind. I was slowly remembering what Papy and I had be subjected to when we were younger. Even though I tried to put on my usual smile, Papy could tell that I was remembering. He tried to talk to me, but....I needed time and space to sort through it all. It wasn't just memories from that time either......I didn't want to tell Papy that. I would wake up in a cold sweat and grab at my chest. However, there was no slash....no injury. No matter how many times I remembered dying.....I couldn't bring myself to hate Chara. She had promised no resets, no more genocide, and she was keeping to her word.

I couldn't help but wonder where Papy was during those times......when I died....why didn't he stop them? Why did he let it happen? A groan beside me in the bed snaps me out of my thoughts as Dust wakes up. He smiles a little seeing me and then frowns. "Blue....what's wrong?" He asks sitting up on his elbow. I look away, unable to smile for him. "I....I know about what Chara did to me....to everyone.....I...I don't hate her.....I don't hate anyone, but I'm so confused, Dust.....why didn't Papy stop her?" I say. Dust gently touches my face and I look at him. "Blue, he was just trying to protect you. With the resets, you would have died no matter what he tried. He probably thought the deaths you got were the quickest and most painless. I....I'd know because it was the same for me and my brother....only I was in Papyrus's place." Dust says.

I nod and look down. "It's not just that....Papyrus....he's hid so much from me.....not just about Chara, but about us. That we were made not born....we were experimented on without any mercy. That the one behind it.....our father....Papyrus killed him to protect us." I say and dust sits up the rest of the way. He gently takes my hands. "May I?" He asks and I nod. Dust carefully removes my gloves to reveal the plate on the back of my right hand. "Blue....don't be mad at Papyrus....he only wanted you to have a happy life without all of this......baggage tying you down. It's a lot to carry with you. It can make you hard and cold......It can drive you insane....." Dust says and I hug him finally crying.

"Shhhh....It's ok, Blue....it's ok" Dust says as he rubs my back. After a while, I finally stop crying. "Feel better, Blue?" Dust asks worried and I nod. "We should probably get some sleep. It's still pretty late" Dust says and I nod and cuddle with him. Dust smiles softly and wraps his arms around me. "Dust.....can I ask you something?" I ask. "Anything, Blue, I'm an open book" Dust says. I look up at him. "Can we have kids?" I ask and he looks down at me with a small smile. "What brought this on? I'm not saying no, Blue. I'm just curious. You never brought it up before" Dust says, still smiling. "Well....we're gonna have to finish the bond right? I...I was thinking that I should bottom.....you're so much stronger than I am and I something happens....You can fight" I say.

Dust sighs. "Blue, you're not weak....just kind souled. You try so hard to see the good in everyone. it's not a bad thing, but it doesn't make you a good solider. I don't mean anything bad by it love. I just figured you'd be tired of people telling you that you'd be a great Royal Guard when they don't really mean it. Now, if you would ask if you would be a great Royal advisor, that's completely different. You see the different outcomes with uncanny ease. You have the knack for strategy. You have skills that make you dangerous to face if it was a battle of wits. Unfortunately, not all battles are of wit." Dust says and I nod. Part of me already knew that's why Alphys never allowed me in the guard. 

"As to the question of kids.....I would love a family, as long as it's with you, Blue. You are so sweet and kind. You care so much it's adorable. As soon as we get the ok, If you want them....I'll try my best to give you a family" Dust says and kisses the top of my skull. "I...I'd love that....and I love you...so much." I say and Dust chuckles. "I love you too, my little Blueberry" Dust says making me blush. "Let's get some sleep now, ok?" Dust asks and I nod. After a bit of trouble, I manage to fall asleep again. 

Mirrorverse.....Deltarune Castle....Killer's POV

I hung from the dungeon wall for as long as I could remember. Had it been a day, a week, a month, a year? I did not know. The cells had no way to see outside. Time seemed to stop and nothing really mattered anymore. I had given up hope of a rescue long ago. Shattered Dream's Castle was impossible to breach. Ink had also went missing from my daily routine. He normally visited daily in attempts to break me, as he called it. I soon hear the Dungeon's iron door open with an awful grating noise followed by quick footsteps. However, they didn't belong to Ink, who preferred to take his time coming down to see me. I don't even bother to look up as the cell door opens. Not that would matter when Lancer stands in front of me.

"What? Not happy to see me? You should be, Killer" Lancer says and looks around for something. He soon finds a ladder and props it against the wall beside me. "Ink will kill you for this....." I say, my voice hoarse from the acid that Ink forced me to drink the last time. "That would be quite the trick." Lancer says releasing me from the shackles, causing me to fall to the floor. "Ink has been dead a month now. Error finally killed the asshole." Lancer says and brings a cup of water to me. "W-what?" I ask in disbelief. "Questions later. Shattered Dream could still come down here. Now, drink. It'll help neutralize that acid" Lancer says and helps me drink the cup's contents.

"Now, up you go. I can't carry you. So, you'll have to walk, Killer" Lancer says and I nod and use the wall to attempt to balance on my weakened legs. Hanging from the wall had weakened the magic in my body considerably. Lancer soon comes back and hands me a walking stick. "Why are you helping me? I thought you hated The Misfits" I say. Lancer frowns. "I don't. It's just The Stars have more potential for destruction. I have to look out for my people since my father won't." He says and I nod. "You'd be a good king, Lancer." I say and he leads me out of the dungeon, taking care to make sure I don't fall on the stairs. "We...we can't leave Cross...not like that" I say. Lancer frowns. "One rescue at a time! You can barely stand as it is and I have to continue to like preening Shattered Dream's ego." He says and I nod.

"So....I'm out of the dungeon. Now what?" I ask. Lancer leads me to the kitchens. "I have a friend that can get you out of the castle. Be nice, she's scared to death of being caught" Lancer says and I nod. "Pssst Susie? Are you still here?" Lancer calls out quietly. A pink head with curly pink hair pokes out of the larder. "About time you got here! I've seen Cross twice already! He almost caught me!" She says and comes over. She wore a blue jean jacket, a pink shirt, blue jean pants, and pink high heels. "Sorry! Killer's pretty weak. He's been on the wall for a long time" Lancer says and Susie picks me up. "I normally prefer the man make the first move, but I'll make an exception for you, cutie" She says and she carries me through a hidden path out of the castle.

"Ok, we're out of the castle....now what?" I ask and she ignores me. "Hello?" I say. "Shut up! There's a patrol coming" She says and I nod. The patrol soon passes without a problem. "What's next is we meet up with UnderSwap Sans. He's the one that paid for the jailbreak." She says and I look at her confused. "Look, it'll be explained, but a lot of stuff has changed now that our Ink is dead." She says as she makes it to a cave nearby. She gently sets me down and sits as well. "What do you mean by our Ink?" I ask confused. She sighs. "The rumor says that when Error killed our Ink, another one appeared from another Multiverse. However, this new Ink was much kinder and weaker than our Ink." She explains and I nod.

"Last I heard, the new Ink shielded Nightmare from a deadly blow from Shattered Dream. He's currently in a coma as Shattered Dream's slime is corrupting what soul he has, but that's just the rumor. Who knows if it's actually true" Susie says and I nod. "You should probably get some rest. It'll be awhile before UnderSwap Sans can open a portal. Shattered Dream doesn't know yet that UnderSwap has joined forces with The Misfits" She says making me curious. "No more questions....get some sleep. With luck, UnderSwap will get here soon enough" Susie says and I nod. The ground was much more comfortable than hanging from a wall. So, I fall asleep in no time.

The Crossroads......Error's POV

As soon as I stepped into The Crossroads, it felt wrong.....Dream and Nightmare soon follow behind me. Dream was automatically surrounded by a bright glow. Hissing could be heard echoing throughout The Crossroads. "What the heck?" Dream says looking at himself. "You represent the light, the positivity of your Multiverse. In The Crossroads, there is no light....only Darkness." A voice says. We turn to see a skeleton, even older than the oldest Gaster standing at the edge of Dream's glow. He looked like PaperJam, but he wore monk robes. "It was foolish to come here without a Guardian." He says. "But we are all Guardians" I say and he smiles patiently.

"You are Guardians of your respective Multiverses, Not guardians of the Nexus." He says. I was about to argue but Dream stops me. "Please, our PaperJam has been missing for quite some time. We waited as long as we could. The pendant Error wears represents the soul of a dear friend. He's in bad shape in The Mirrorverse" Dream says. The elder skeleton frowns. "This is concerning....Classic Should be at his post.....unless he's been attacked and captured. Come, I will take you to the monastary. It is the only safe place in The Crossroads" He says. We follow him closely. "Dream, please, I ask you to walk in the back of the group. Your shine is too strong for these old eyes. My name is Eldest. I am the earliest form of PaperJam, created from one of the first concept sketches." Eldest says as Dream walks behind us.

For a long time, there's nothing but darkness in front of us, and Dream's glow behind us. "How can anyone see through all of this Darkness?" I ask. "One with darkness in their soul will always have trouble seeing in The Crossroads, Error. We watch for the birth of a Guardian in every Multiverse....we save them if they have not been saved already or we come to them if they have. We teach them how to use their gifts, how to show restraint." Eldest says and I snort. "Mirrorverse PaperJam missed that lesson." I say thinking about Ink. "Mirror is still young and impulsive. Every PaperJam has that period to learn and grow. Eventually, Mirror will settle and be more open to learn." Eldest says and we nod.

We eventually come to what looks like an old castle with bonfires at the top of each tower. "The fires keep the Holos back. They cannot stand the light. You should rest here for the time being while I attempt to contact Mirror. Communication magic is difficult to maintain for long. I will leave you in the care of Emmanuel, PJ of the Human Multiverse. Emmanuel, Make sure our guests are comfortable, and have Archer lead a search party, Classic is missing." Eldest says. Emmanuel bows in respect. "Of course, Eldest" He says as Eldest leaves. Emmanuel was human, but power radiated from him. His skin was dark with splashes of white on each side of his face. He wore the standard PJ outfit. His hair was as dark as his skin and was hopelessly messy.

"Manny!!!!" a voice calls as a female version of PaperJam runs up to us. She was actually quite adorable. Her outfit was similar to the standard PJ outfit but with the addition of a hood, which she kept up. She had a strung bow on her back. Emmanuel sighs. "Archer, I've asked you not to call me that" Manny says rubbing his forehead. Archer frowns. "Emmanuel is such a mouthful! Anyways, Who's the newcomers? The cutie is pretty shiny" Archer says making Dream blush. Manny sighs. "They're our guests. Dream and Nightmare are from the Classic Multiverse and Error is from the Mirrorverse. They're trying to get to Mirrorverse. By the way, Eldest wants you to get a search party together. Something happened to Classic, he's missing" Manny says.

The change in Archer was startling as she automatically became serious. "Understood, Emmanuel" She says and goes off yelling orders. "You will have to excuse Archer. She's a bit bi-polar." Manny says. "A little?" I say. He ignores me and leads us to a room. There's several beds within. "I implore you to remain in this room until Eldest contacts Mirror or Assigns a Guardian to take you to The Mirroverse. The Crossroads are not safe to travel alone." Manny says and closes the door behind us. I growl and punch a wall, only succeeding in busting up my hand on the hard stone. Dream sighs and heals my hand. "Look, understand that you are worried, but we can't just go wherever. We need a guide or we will waste even more time fumbling in the darkness"


	11. Holos and Blueberries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirrorverse Blue checks on Killer
> 
> Dream learns more about the Monastery
> 
> OG Blueberry isn't feeling good

Mirrorverse......UnderSwap.....Blueberry's POV

I walk into the infirmary with a tray of food. "Undyne, how is our guest?" I ask putting the tray on her desk. She had a habit of missing her meals. She sighs and removes her glasses. "Honestly? I'm surprised that he's still alive. I knew Ink was twisted, but this is beyond anything I could have thought. Several of his bones had to be re-broken so they could be set correctly......his throat and stomach have been badly burned by acid.....his joints are weakened from being hung from a wall for so long. That's not even going into the soul injuries. One good thing is he really hasn't changed in personality. He managed not to break. I highly believe that's what Ink wanted so he could alter his soul." Undyne says and eats a bit of her lunch.

"I've also had to be careful about nutrition. Too much at once, or foods that are too rich will make him sick. It's going to be a long road of recovery for him" She says and I nod. "Can he have visitors?" I ask. "Yes, but try not to upset him. I've had to restrain him for his safety. To much movement could undo some of the work I've done to heal him." She says and I nod before heading into the area where the patients sleep. In the back, separated by a screen, Killer laid. His wrists and ankles had been secured with padded leather cuffs. "Undyne means well, I hope you understand, Killer." I say and he glares at me. "What are you going to do to me?" He growls, surprising me a little. I sigh rubbing my chin.

"You misunderstand, Killer. You are not a prisoner. You are only restrained for your safety and ours, nothing more. Several of your bones had to be reset. Regretfully, that meant breaking them all over again." I say. Killer looks away from me. "I...I heard that you joined The Misfits....true or not?" He asks. "If it wasn't, you would still be in that cell instead of in my infirmary tormenting poor Undyne." I say and he looks at me before sighing. "Sorry.....It's just" He trails off. I nod. "Perfectly understandable. You have been through quite the ordeal. It's been five years, Killer." I say and he looks at me. "That's all? It felt longer." He says. I nod. "If you promise to let your injuries mend, and not to throw things again, I can unrestrain you" I say and he nods.

I undo the cuffs to earn a sucker punch to the cracks in my face. "Sans!" Undyne says alerted. I hold up my hand to stop her. "It...it is fine, Undyne. After everything I have done....It's the least he could have done" I say. "But your face" She says. "It will...will be fine, Undyne. Please, return to your meal. You need to eat." I say and she reluctantly leaves us. Killer looks at me confused. "I am not cruel, Killer. I never have been. I just choose the wrong side." I say and sit in the chair next to the bed. "Our Ink, however, was twisted. He created a double of you after you were captured. He killed this double to make your friends believe you were dead until recently." I say and he frowns.

"Nightmare.....Horror.....Dust......Error....they thought I was..." He says and I nod. "The double was very convincing. Please, do not hate them for trying to move on. Horror....I don't think he really did. Ink made him believe your demise was his fault. From what I understand, Horror and Nightmare are expecting a child now." I say and Killer chuckles. "I somehow knew those two belonged together.....What Nightmare and I had was more of a friends with benefits situation." Killer says and I shake my head. "That's one thing I never understood about you. You never really hold a grudge against anyone. True, you do get a little petty revenge with pranks and such, but never anything truly malicious." I say and he shrugs.

"Life's too short to hold onto bullshit" He says simply and I shake my head. "Anyways, I heard you like to read. We have quite the library here at the palace. If you would like, I can have some books brought in for you to read while you recover." I say. "Sure, subject don't matter. Anyways, Do my friends know I'm here?" He asks and I rub my chin. "Not yet. I was planning to tell them once you recovered a bit more. Right now, there's a situation that is demanding their attention." I say. Killer looks at his hands. "It's that other Ink, right? I heard the rumors that he's in bad shape" Killer says and I nod. "He shielded Nightmare in the last attack on DreamTale." I say and he nods.

The Crossroads.....Monastery of the Guardians.....Dream's POV

I am lead down a hall by a young PJ name Kinder. Kinder was the youngest of the PJs and came from a Multiverse where everyone was a child. From what I understood, Kinder was never allowed to fight. Instead, he helped Eldest with day to day affairs as well as making sure his health did not fail him. "Please understand....Eldest, he really cares about every Multiverse like they were his kids." Kinder says and I nod. "So...how many PJs are there?" I ask and Kinder giggles. "As many as there are stars in the sky....at least that's what Eldest says....I've never seen stars..." Kinder says. I frown. "Oh...." I say. Kinder looks back at me. "It's ok! I'm really happy here!" Kinder says and I nod.

We soon enter a room filled with crystals. These crystals were mounted on staffs about the same size. "So, it's true, another Dream has come. It's been to long." A gruff voice says. "Dream, this is Forge from the Dark Ages Multiverse. Don't let his gruff and harsh attitude fool you! He's a big softy." Kinder says as another PJ comes up. He was quite muscular for a PJ and wore an apron stained with soot. His arms were solid with cracks running across the surface. "Don't keep saying that Kid, you'll ruin my reputation" Forge says holding his hand out to me. Cracks ran across it at the joints. I shake it, a bit surprised by Forge's grip. "Forge makes all our weapons and our armor." Kinder says.

"Wow...." I say and Kinder nods. "What the kid isn't telling you is that I need your help. These staffs were once one of our primary weapons, but the light failed after time. The last Dream to come through was over a thousand years ago." Forge says and I nod. "How can I help?" I ask. "To put it simply, I need you to store a little of your positivity and light in the crystals. It shouldn't take much." Forge says and I nod. Reaching out with my magic, I could feel each crystal. They sang at the touch of my magic, making Kinder smile in wonder. As Forge said, it didn't take much magic to make the crystals light up again, flooding the room with light. Forge nods, impressed. "Very well done...." He says.

"So, what happens now?" I ask. "Some of the larger staffs are used to light around the outside of the monastery. It will keep the Holos back and it's safer than burning wood. The others will be distributed to the Guardians. Patrols will be able to travel a bit safer now." Forge says and covers most of the staffs with a thick cloth. "For now, we should probably see to your armor and that of your friends." Forge says and I look at him confused. "Whenever two Multiverses collide, they form bonds that cannot be easily broken. In all likely-hood, this won't be your last trip through The Crossroads. So, I have been tasked with making suitable gear for your travels through The Crossroads." Forge says and gets to work.

"Error isn't going to like the delay" I say and Forge chuckles. "There won't be much of one. The craft of the forge is what I was born to do. Your gear will be ready within the next few hours." He says and I nod. Kinder soon leads me to another room. It was a huge hall lined with tables and benches. "You and your friends must be hungry" Kinder says and I nod. Kinder leads me to a line with various PJs waiting with trays. "Craft, we need three travel packs" Kinder says and the PJ named Craft nods after looking at me. One of his eye sockets was covered with Pixelation. He vanishes for a while. "Crafts, Forge, and Eldest are the oldest of the PJs. They formed the Guardians of the Nexus and guide new Guardians." Kinder says.

"They look like they've been through a lot." I say and he nods. "A long time ago, before the Guardians existed, The Crossroads were a death sentence to any unfortunate to be trapped within. Then, one day a warrior clothed in brown, white, and black came and united three Multiverses to fight back the Holos. The Multiverses sacrificed everything to fight back the Holos. Elderverse, Darkverse, and Craftsverse.....all were destroyed to contain the worst of the holos......the Aus within them already twisted and warped beyond recognition. The warrior faced off against the leader of the Holos alone, his power on par with the Holo king. However....the warrior was badly injured. With the last of his magic, he build the Monastery before he turned to dust" Kinder says.

OG Multiverse.....UnderSwap.....Blueberry's POV

"And you're sure of this?" PaperJam asks and I nod. "Cross told me yesterday." I say and PJ frowns. "I hope they made it to The Monastery. The Crossroads are very dangerous" PJ says and I frown. "You mentioned the monastery before. What is it?" I ask. PaperJam sighs. "It's the only safe haven in The Crossroads. A long time ago, before the Guardians existed, The Crossroads were a death sentence to any unfortunate to be trapped within. Then, one day a warrior clothed in brown, white, and black came and united three Multiverses to fight back the Holos. The Multiverses sacrificed everything to fight back the Holos. Elderverse, Darkverse, and Craftsverse.....all were destroyed to contain the worst of the holos......the Aus within them already twisted and warped beyond recognition. 

The warrior faced off against the leader of the Holos alone, his power on par with the Holo king. However....the warrior was badly injured. With the last of his magic, he build the Monastery before he turned to dust" PaperJam says. "That sounds like Ink, but he's alive." I say and PaperJam nods. "It was an Ink from a young Multiverse called Mirrorverse. He was very Young, but very powerful. His creator had given up on his AU, but had completed his development. He had some trouble controlling his power until the end....." PaperJam says and looks away. "They say that the Holo King survived and hid away in one of the Multiverses to cause havoc and mayhem." PaperJam says and he seems to be distracted.

After a few moments, he lets out a sigh of relief. "They have reached the Monastery safely." PaperJam says and I smile. "That's good right?" I ask and he nods. "Yeah, but I...I am in a lot of trouble. It's my responsibility to escort anyone from this Multiverse." He says with a sigh. "So, where were you?" I ask curious. PaperJam blushes. "I ummm......went to see my boyfriend, Omni" He says a little embarrassed. I chuckle. "I wasn't expecting Mirror me to pull what he did!" PaperJam says and I chuckle. "Well, you should go and get it over with" I say and he nods. "I'll probably be washing armor for the next month" He says before vanishing through a portal.

I go back inside the house and smile. Things weren't perfect, but they were getting better in a way. With Nightmare finally regaining himself again, Horror and Killer have been fairly behaved. The Multiverse seemed to be on a steady climb to improvement. Despite all of this, I was still worried. Who knew how long the peace between Nightmare and Dream would actually last. I rub my head, not feeling so good. "Hey bro....are you alright?" Papy asks when I come inside. "My head hurts...." I say and he nods. "Undyne said that might happen with you regaining your memory." He says and I nod a little. "So, did you and Dust have fun last night?" He asks and I blush a bright blue.

"PAPYRUS!" I yell and he starts to laugh. "I'll take that as a yes. Dust is still in bed. Just how hard did you rattle his bones, Bro?" Papyrus asks with a wink. I blush even more. "Oh come on, Bro. Throw me a bone. Is he so amazing that you can't talk about it?" He asks and I grab a pillow from the couch. Papyrus laughs even more as I chase him around the couch in an attempt to hit him with the pillow. I suddenly get dizzy and lean against the couch as the world spins. "Sans?" Papyrus says, suddenly worried. He comes over and I lightly hit him with the pillow. "G-got you" I say. Papyrus smiles softly and helps me sit down on the couch. "Sans....I'm worried about you. You've been more tired lately....even more than I am. That's saying something." Papyrus says and I nod.

"I'm going to get Undyne to take a look at you. You lay down on the couch and try to get some rest, Ok?" Papy asks and I nod. He smiles a little as he makes sure I was comfortable. "You probably caught a cold or something. You'll be back to your normal self in no time." Papyrus says and I frown. "I don't even know what my normal self is anymore, Papy." I say and he nods. "Don't rush it. You have plenty of time to work it out." Papyrus says and I nod. I don't even remember falling asleep when Papyrus returns with Undyne. "Stars, Papyrus, you weren't kidding. He looks awful." Undyne says and kneels down next to the couch. "Sans, can you open your eyes for me?" She asks and I do. She sighs. "He'll be fine, Papyrus. I've read on this. He's just pregnant"


	12. Soul Transference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error and Ink's destinies start to become known, but are they ready for what lies ahead?

The Crossroads......Monastery of The Guardians....Error's POV

I had trouble sleeping and decided to take a walk through the halls. With the endless darkness, It was hard to tell how much time had passed. Despite this and the walls, the wind still blowed. "Error......" I whipped around to see whoever said that. Seeing no one, I shrug and keep walking, For some reason going deeper and deeper into the monastery. The wind blows a bit harder. "Error.....please......" I hear again. "Ink?" I say confused and start to run deeper into the monastery. "So....he is the one after all. I was unsure." Eldest says and Forge nods as they follow me without being discovered. Deeper and deeper still I went. With every gust of wind, I could hear it....I could hear Ink....my Ink call. 

Eventually, I find myself in the deepest part of the monastery. "Ink? I'm here, Kiki." I say starting to cry. "Please....where are you?" I ask to the seemingly empty room. When no answer came, I sink to my knees, my energy spent. Forge is about to go to me but Eldest grabs his arm and shakes his head. "We cannot intervene....." Is all Eldest says. Forge nods and continues to watch in silence. "Kiki.....why......why did you change? Was it because of a creator? Did they make you do all of those things? Ink, please, love, ANSWER ME!" I yell out, slamming my fists into the stone floor. My fists cracked and splintered from the force, but I was blind to the pain. "Error, my love....I never changed...." A voice says as a gentle touch rests on my shoulders.

I look up through my tears to see my Ink standing before me. However, he looked nothing like the Ink that I killed. He smiles softly. "Oh Ruru....how long I've waited for you to find your way here......" Ink says. His face was still as I remembered, but it was softer...so much like the Ink from the other Multiverse. He still had a scarf, but it doubled as a hood that covered most of his skull. At his side were two swords, one had a handle that was ended with a paint brush. The other ended with the tip of a pen. His outfit was similar to the Ink that had come to mean so much to me. "I never meant for you to suffer, Ruru....never you, love." He says as his hands cup my face. His touch was so light....almost like it wasn't there at all.

"You...you're really dead...." I say and he nods sadly. "I have been since we had the argument in OuterTale....." He says, surprising me. "But...I...I killed you...." I say having trouble understanding as I start to glitch. "Eldest, he's still not ready for this! He will die" Forge says but Eldest shakes his head. "He's already come this far. We cannot stop it now." Eldest says and Forge huffs, crossing his arms. "Error, love, listen to me....That was not me, but a Holo...a very powerful one that answers to the Holo king." Ink says and I blink. "So...it was a double..." I say and Ink nods. "What happened, Kiki? How did you....why did you?" I ask, as I cry again.

"After our argument....I somehow found myself in the crossroads. The Crossroads were a flame with dark fire that suffocated all light.....all hope....I coud not just leave the innocents to their fate. The Holo King would never just stop with The Crossroads. However....no matter how much I fought him....I could never destroy him....that was never my gift..." Ink says. "It was mine...." I say and he nods. "I have waited so long, my soul sealed within this very chamber.....for you to claim it." Ink says and I look at him. He cups my face again. "My time is done, Ruru....but yours is only beginning.....Take my soul and feed it to your own....I will always be with you.....But don't forget to find love again....I don't want you to be alone." Ink says.

I start to tremble. "Kiki....I...I can't do this...we can find a way to save you. We just need time....please love..." I say as tears continue to fall. Ink smiles sadly. "It's been tried....so many times that I have lost count. As soon as I leave this room....I will die." Ink says sadly. "The resets...." i say and he nods. "Please, Ruru, just listen to me this last time and do as I ask, Love" Ink says and I look down before I nod. "What must I do...." I ask. "As with soul bonding, you must bare your soul, but instead of creating a bond....your soul will consume mine and gain my powers. To create and to destroy will be yours to command.....Use these powers wisely, Ruru...and know that I will always love you" Ink says as I bare my soul to him. As soon as Ink touches my soul, everything goes black.

Nightmare's POV

"So....did he do it...or are we going to face another reset?" I say sadly. Eldest and Forge look at me. "He did it this time, but he is very weak and vulnerable right now. Soul Transference is not easy to go through." Eldest says as Forge gently picks up Error. He looked so weak in Forge's arms. "We could not have done this if not for your help, Nightmare" Eldest says. "Finally...after so much suffering....Dream will know the truth....about why I...." I say and Eldest nods. "We will always be in your debt, Nightmare." Forge says and I nod sadly. "Let's get him to a bed...." I say and we go back upstairs. Upon reaching the room, Dream jumps up from his bed. "Brother....what happened to Error?" Dream asks worried.

"Do not worry, Dream. Error will be fine once his soul has settled again. You however, must get to Mirrorverse. Your Ink will not last as long as it will take Error to wake up. I will be sending you with Mirror. He is already waiting for you to get ready to leave." Eldest says and Dream nods sadly. Forge gently puts Error on his bed and makes sure he is comfortable. "Your new gear is finished and ready to go. Stay safe you two" Forge says and we nod. After several minutes, Dream and I are wearing what appears to be armor similar to that of the Royal Guard in the Omega timeline. Then, a PaperJam rushes up to us. "Thank the stars....Ink's ok for now, but not even I can say how long he has left." He says and opens a portal.

Mirrorverse........DreamTale......Dust's POV

I rub my eye sockets as I watch over Ink. His soul is almost consumed now, and I fear for the worst. Suddenly, a portal opens as PaperJam walks through with two skeletons behind them. One was the spitting image of Nightmare, but he looked much stronger.....and the other looked like Shattered Dream, but without the slime. Both wore suits of armor usually worn by the Royal Guard. Nightmare's was a polished silver with Purple accents, while Dreams was polished Gold with white accents. I jump out of the way as Dream rushes to Ink and gets to work. "Dust, please stay with my brother....I need to speak with your Nightmare" Nightmare says and I nod.

Mirrorverse Nightmare's POV

I gently remove myself from Horror and head to the Audience hall. By now, My counterpart from Ink's Multiverse will be here to inform me of our success...or our failure. 'I don't know how many more times I can watch Horror become just my friend again.....how many more times we come to having a family just for the reset to take it all away again. There was only so much I could bare before I will snap. Entering the hall, I find my counterpart, but something was different this time. He now wore armor from the Monastery instead of his normal hoodie and shorts combo. Seeing me, he gives a relieved smile. "Error did it....Didn't he?" I ask and he nods.

"The transference took a lot out of him. Eldest sent us ahead to help Ink....Dream is with him now." OG Nightmare says and I nod. "With any luck, we will finally find and be rid of the Holo King for good. I'm so very tired of all these games" I say and he nods. "As am I. We still have no leads as to where he's hiding now. The Guardians did, but he's moved since then. Last they knew, He was somewhere in my Multiverse, but it's a big multiverse." OG Nightmare says and I nod. "Do you have what we discussed if this should happen?" I ask and he nods. "My Error's soul. The damned Holo put up quite the fight to keep it. Let's just hope it can save ink like we've been told. I gave it to Dust. He knows what to do" OG Nightmare says and I nod.

OG Dream's POV

It had took a lot of magic, but I was finally able to free Ink's soul from the slime. However, before I could celebrate, what there was of Ink's soul started to crack. "No...nonononono....Ink!" I cry out and Dust moves me aside. "Sorry, but I don't have time to explain!" Dust says and removes a container from under the bed. Inside was a very familiar soul. "What are you doing?" I ask horrified. "Saving his life. He will die unless his soul is strengthened." Dust says as he opens the container. The soul within reaches out to Ink's and I can only watch as Ink's soul basically eats the one within the container. Dust sighs in relief as Ink's soul not only stabilizes, but completely reforms. 

"What just...." I say looking at the now rainbow soul floats above Inks's chest. "we should wait on explanations until both Ink and Error are recovered" Dust says and I nod still worried. Soon, a Nightmare comes in followed by my brother. "Dust, did it take?" He asks and Dust nods. "I got to him in time this time, Nightmare....The Soul Transference worked." Dust says and both Nightmares look relieved. "Brother...what is going on? I...I don't understand" I say and My nightmare hugs me tight....he hasn't hugged me like that since were still guarded the tree. "Everything will be fine now, Dream. Just get some rest, ok?" He says and I pout. "Fine but when Ink and Error are both better, I expect an explanation, Brother!" I say and leave the room.

OG Multiverse.....UnderSwap....Dust's POV

I look at Papyrus and Undyne both in surprise. "You...you're certain about that?" I ask and Undyne nods. I go to a knee, holding onto the couch so I don't end up in the floor again. 'He did it....he actually did it this time......Blue....we'll have our family for real this time......no more resets....no more disappointment.' I think as I start to cry. "Are you going to be alright, Dust?" Undyne says gently touching my back and I nod. "I...I just never thought....I didn't think I deserved...." I say and she nods. "Sans will need plenty of rest. I was able to cox his ecto body to form as it should....there's twins, Dust. Two new souls in Blue's abdomen." Undyne says and I break down the rest of the way.

"You're...certain?" I ask and she nods. "It's a common problem for first time mother skeletons. The ecto body just doesn't stay formed which causes the new souls to form next to the mother's soul itself. If we hadn't caught it, the new souls wouldn't have made it without the womb in which to form their bodies. You and Sans were very lucky." Undyne says and I nod as Papyrus helps me back to my feet. "I always wanted to be an Uncle." Papyrus says, breaking the tension and I start to laugh. Papyrus chuckles and I smile at him. "Thanks...for....being so supportive about all of this....I know you didn't like me at first" I say. Papyrus nods. "You're right, I didn't....and to be honest, I still don't" He says.

I look at him worried. "However....my bro loves you with everything he's got....and that's enough for me....but if you EVER hurt him.....You will have a VERY bad time...." Papyrus says and I nod. "Don't have to worry about that....I love my Blueberry too much to hurt him" I say and he nods. "Dust...." Blue says starting to wake up again. He already looks much better when he opens his eyes, the eyelights bright again. "Blue, from now on, you need to get plenty of rest. No training for a while, and no more hikes. Your twins are going to use a lot of your energy. So try not to push yourself" Undyne says making blue blink in shock.

"Twins?" He says and I nod. "Seems we were a bit overexcited a couple nights ago" I say and he blushes. "So.....who's cooking, because I'm starving!" Blue says and I chuckle. "I will, love. What do you want?" I ask. He thinks for a moment. "Fish tacos with chocolate sauce and cabbage on it" Blue says and Papyrus makes a face that reflects what I'm thinking. "That's disgusting, bro" Papyrus says as Undyne giggles. "Get used to the weird cravings. They'll be around for a while" She says and I got to make Blue's tacos....that's if the smell doesn't make me sick first.


	13. Resets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error and Ink are reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightshade belongs to my friend,  
> Nighty-the-wolf-skeleton on Tumblr!
> 
> I got her name wrong and had to edit it.

The Crossroads.....Monastery of the Guardians....Error's POV

I wake up to find that I'm back in the room they gave Dream, Nightmare, and I. However, upon looking around, I see neither of my companions. Out of reflex, I check the pendant, and it makes my soul sink. The glow was completely gone now.....I had failed. As I lay there feeling like a failure, a young PJ comes in with a tray of food. He smiles when he sees me awake. "Eldest was right! Hi there! I'm Kinder!" The kid says and puts the tray on my lap. "I...I'm not hungry" I say and he tilts his head. "I will deal with this, Kinder. Forge was looking for you" A much older PJ says. He looked like he had seen a lot of shit, especially with the pixelation covering his right eye.

"Oh! Ok, Craft! See you later!" Kinder says and runs off. Craft comes over and sits in the chair beside the bed. "You need to eat, Youngster." He says crossing his arms. "I failed him..." I say. "You failed no one, lad. If it's your Ink friend, you'll be happy to know that Dream got to him just in time. He's going to be fine" Craft says and I look at him. "Eldest knew that you wouldn't wake up in time. So, we had Mirror go ahead and take them to the Mirrorverse." Craft says. "Who's Mirror?" I ask and he chuckles. "Mirror is the PaperJam from your Multiverse. There's simply too many PaperJams here just to yell PaperJam, you know" Craft says and I nod. 

"The pendant went dark....since ink is better, shouldn't it be glowing?" I ask and Craft rubs his chin, thinking. "Well, it would if his soul was still the same as it was. However, like you, He gained the soul of his lover from his multiverse. That would change the magical frequency of his soul." Craft says, confusing me. "What?" I ask. Craft shakes his head. "No more questions. All will be explained when you and Classic Ink are together again. For now, eat and regain your strength. Soul Transference is not an easy thing to go through." Craft says and I nod. 'What the hell is a Soul Transference? Is that what my ink did?' I think as I eat in silence.

After a few more days of rest, I'm finally allowed to leave. "Error, you cannot begin to understand how much your presence has meant to us here. With your help, The warrior that started the Guardians is now free, and for that, we thank you" Eldest says and I nod. "Before you go, we have a gift for you....a suit of armor to protect you whenever you travel The Crossroads. Your friends also received armor." Forge says and I nod. "As much as we would love to open a portal straight to the Mirrorverse, only the PaperJam of that Multiverse can do so and it took a lot of magic for him to transport your friends so quickly. He is currently having to rest. However, Emmanuel and Archer will guide you to the gate to the Mirrorverse." Crafts says and I nod.

Going back to the room, I find a suit of armor similar to what the Royal Guard wears. most of it was red, with gold accents and black pants, likewise with gold accents. "Excuse me..." A voice says. I turn to see a young woman that looked nothing like a PJ. While she did look like a skeleton, there was a lot of things that made her different from one. While she did have a skull, part of it was broken away, magic flowing out of the hole like a flame licking at the ceiling. She had one large ear on her left side that looked like it belonged on a bat. Although she had two sets of arms, the top one on her right side was missing, likely from a fight. A smoke like train fell from her waist and curled at her feet like a tail. However, all of this was nothing to what really stood her out. The girl had a pair of wings, similar to what I've seen Life sans from reaperTale have. Except one wing was like that of a bird, while the other was of a bat.

Her coloration was all over the place....kind of as if either Ink had accidentally spilled their inks over the poor kid. I frown seeing all of her scars. It was hard to tell where the scars ended and her regular skin began. She shuffles a little uncomfortable with my staring. "Sorry....can I help you?" I ask and she smiles. "I...I was hoping I could go back with you. My name is Nightshade.....I'm your daughter." She says. For a moment, I could only stare in shock before darkness overcame me. "I am in soooo much trouble!" I hear her say before I black out. I wake up some time later, laying on my bed again. "Take it easy, Error. You had a pretty serious crash" Eldest says as I slowly sit up, my head pounding.

"I must apologize for Nightshade. Like her mother, your Ink....Nightshade can be a bit impulsive. We have tried our best to get her to settle down some, but it never seems to work." Eldest says and hands me a cup filled with hot tea. "Do not worry, Craft made it special for you. It should help with your headache and help you regain your strength." He says and I nod. I blow on the tea before taking a sip. It actually tasted amazing. As promised, my headache was already starting to subside. "Nightshade....she's had it harder than the rest of us here. As her many scars can tell you. She takes protecting those she holds dear very personally. She must have gotten that from you and Ink" Eldest says and I look at him.

"So...my Ink was...." I ask and Eldest nods. "Nightshade was born a couple of years before your Ink fought against the Holo King.....Nightshade often blames herself for her mother's death" Eldest says making me frown. "Why the fuck should she?" I ask. Eldest smiles sadly. "Nightshade believes that her birth weakened her mother and gave the Holo King the advantage he needed to kill Ink." Eldest says and I look down. "She has a rather...unique appearance" I say and he nods. "What can one expect when one of the parents is pure creation?" Eldest says and I nod. "As to her returning with you.....It may be for the best for her. The Crossroads will eventually kill her. She has been lucky to survive this long for not being a guardian." Eldest says and I nod.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale.....OG Dream's POV

I look out at DreamTale, still not able to believe that I could ever do this much destruction. "It's hard to look at...isn't it?" A voice says as my brother's counterpart comes to stand beside me. I nod. "What...what happened between you and your brother?" I ask. Mirror Nightmare frowns a little. "He just couldn't see how anyone would come to me for help. He was so....self absorbed that he felt the sun revolved around him and him alone. He could never understand that it was never truly the fruit they came for but our magic." He says. "Wait....what?" I ask confused. "The tree was simply a way for our excess magic to be safely drained without it hurting us. The fruit, a solidified form of our magic. It is the same in every Multiverse. Your brother never told you?" He asks.

"He said something about it before we came here. but, I admit that I didn't fully understand it. We had been told all our lives that the tree was important....that we had to protect it." I say and he nods. "Because it is important in a way. Without it, you and your brother must learn how to control and utilize the extra magic within you. Otherwise....you will be consumed by your own power....." he says and I nod. "Did you?" I ask. Nightmare shakes his head. "I don't have to worry about that....At least not until my Brother can be saved......" He says and I look at him. "With all of this negativity, I would think you would be stronger." I say and Nightmare smiles softly. 

"I would, but....I am currently protecting the only way to revive the tree...one of each of the apples within myself.....it has been very difficult to carry them." He says and I stare at him. I then remember something that I learned at the Monastery. "Your Ink was never evil" I say and he looks at me confused. "When we were at the Monastery, I heard the story about how the Guardians of the Nexus began. They weren't specific, but they said a warrior clothed in brown, black, and white united three Multiverses to fight the Holos. I don't know what a Holo is, but the warrior sounds a lot like an Ink." I say and Nightmare thinks a moment. Dust suddenly runs out to us. "Guys! It's Error! He's back" Dust says and we follow him.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale.....Error's POV

I am hugging Ink tight when Dust returns with my nightmare and Classic Dream. "You had me so worried, Kiki...." I say. "I..I know....and I'm sorry Error" He says. I pull myself away from him. "Why the hell should you be sorry? You did what any of us would have, Ink." I say and he smiles before hugging me again. "Are you ok, Kiki?" I ask and he nods. "He's probably still a bit shook up from the Soul Transference. It's perfectly normal" Eldest says coming into the room. My nightmare frowns. "We should probably move this to the Audience Hall, Eldest. There's just not enough room here." Nightmare says and he nods. I gently pick up Ink and follow the others to the Audience Hall.

Once there, I makes sure Ink is comfortable before sitting next to him. "So, what the hell is Soul Transference?" I ask. Eldest sits down and sighs."It was originally a practice done between members of powerful households among monsters. When the head of the Household falls, the next head will take the soul of the previous head and their soul will consume it. Not only did this boost the power of the one receiving, but it was a way to keep alive the memory of the fallen. The one receiving also gains whatever special skills the predecessor had." Eldest says. "So...because my soul consumed the soul of my Ink, I now have the power to create and destroy" I say and he nods. 

"As does Ink. Soul Transference Is not something to do lightly, and it is only to be directed by a skilled doctor or the soul being consumed" Eldest says with a nod. "Also, You can call on the fallen during a battle. However, this ability is risky. You are using your very soul to fight." Eldest says. We nod. "Eldest...." My Nightmare says and he sighs. "To be honest with the both of you, this is the first time we have had this conversation. All Nightmares and Dusts know of the Multiverse level reset." Eldest says. We look at our respective Nightmares. "What are you talking about?" Ink asks starting to feel better. "We have watched you two dance around each other multiple times." My Nightmare says.

"However, this is the first time that Error has actually moved past the past. We're not sure what changed, just that something did change" Ink's Nightmare says and we nod. I grumble a little. "Guess we now know how most Sanses feel when dealing with the timelines so personally" I say and Ink nods. I look around and frown. "Wait a minute....where's Nightshade?" I ask Eldest. He sighs. "She has been flying around DreamTale since we got here" Eldest says and I sigh. Ink looks at me curiously. "Nightshade is....she's.....my daughter with my Ink. She's a little younger than PaperJam." I say and Ink smiles. "What's she like?" Dream asks. I rub my head. "INCOMING!!!" We hear as something flies through one of the huge windows in the hall and crashes into a pile of pillows. "Now I know why that pillow pile is there" Ink says.

Mirrorverse......UnderSwap Palace....Killer's POV

I put down my book as Blue comes into the infirmary. He smiles softly. "How are you doing, Killer?" He says sitting beside me. "I'm doing much better thanks to you, Blue." I say and he smiles a little. "I thought you would be happy to know that Error and the new Ink are both doing well." Blue says and I smile. "So....how long before I get to go home? I've been sitting in this bed long enough to start missing the wall." I say. Blue chuckles. "As soon as Undyne clears you, You'll be clear to go. In fact, I've been looking into something that I could use a skeleton of your talents for." Blue says and I frown. "I knew there was a catch." I say and he frowns.

"No catch, Killer. I'm planning on rescuing Cross. With how he has been altered, it will be difficult to snap him out of it though." Blue says frowning. I frown. "how are we going to help him. I'm not going to give up on him." I say and Blue chuckles. "You have it bad for him, don't you?" Blue says making me blush. Blue chuckles. "You're not in trouble, Killer. As to how we are going to free him, I have some friends that can repair the damage to his soul and undo the alterations. We just have to get him away from Shattered Dream." Blue says and I nod. "And I have the skill set to get him out" I say and Blue nods. "So, what do you say?" Blue asks and I nod. Blue smiles and gets up. "Let's see if I can get Undyne to cut you loose" Blue says and goes to find Undyne.

I sigh and hope that Undyne lets me go. Blue soon returns with Undyne. "Ok, Killer, let's get you checked over." Undyne says and I smile. She comes over and Gives me a once over. "Your soul could be a bit stronger, but I can live with that. However, make sure to take these one a day for your soul problems until I can give you the ok" Undyne says and hands me a small bottle of pills. "I already gave you one for today." Undyne says and I nod. "Can I get up now?" I ask and she nods. Blue helps me get up and I smile. "Now, I want to go train. I need to get my edge back before we save Cross."


	14. The Ugly Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch and Chara in the OG Mirrorverse get answers from OG Dust.
> 
> Mirrorverse Killer and Blueberry stage a rescue, but face more than they bargained for

OG Multiverse....UnderSwap.....Stretch's POV

I'm out with Chara while Blue rests at home. "Are you sure it's safe to leave him with Dust?" Chara asks concerned. I sigh. "No, but I have to give him rope if he's going to hang himself.....besides, are you sure it's safe for me to be alone with you?" I ask and she sighs. "I can see your point. I...I just worry about Blue." Chara says and I nod. "I do too...." I say. "But?" Chara asks. I sigh rubbing my head. "You didn't see him when he found out Blue was pregnant, Chara......He...he was actually crying. I've never seen him cry before....not once. There was a look of relief on his face.....you know the one I mean.....he's lived the days before Blue got pregnant before." I say and she frowns.

"Are you talking about what I think you are?" Chara asks and I nod. "A reset.....but neither you or Asriel initiated one. So, who did, and why don't we remember. For some reason, Dust does." I say and she nods. "But Dust can be very secretive if he doesn't want something known. Also, whose's to say how many resets we aren't aware of." Chara says and I nod. "So, I'm going to trust Dust......even if it kills me. That's the only way I'm going to get him to open up to me." I say. "Do you think he's told Blue?" Chara asks and I shake my head. "He's too much like me. Blue is too much like his own brother. He won't tell him" I say and she nods. "But he may surprise you and tell him" Chara says and I nod.

"Let's just hope that whatever's going on, that it's over." I say and she nods. "But be prepared for the worst huh?" She says and I sigh. "You know me" I say and she nods. "That's what worries me, Stretch" She says and keeps walking. I watch her a moment before effortlessly catching up. "Chara, are you alright?" I ask concerned. "Yeah...why wouldn't I be?" She says, but there was a hint of sadness in her voice. I gently grab her wrist, making her look at me. "Kiddo, you know you can't lie to me. I've learned how to read you, remember?" I say and she smiles softly. "I'll be fine Papyrus. I'm just tired...." She says and I nod. We soon reach the house. When we get close enough, we hear voices.

"So, that other Error left with Dream and Nightmare....." We hear Dust say. "Yeah, I would have went as well, but Nightmare was against it. Probably for the best I didn't. He was right...." We hear Cross say. "Congrats. Bet Dream's going to be ecstatic about the babybones." Dust says as we come in. Cross looks at us from where he's sitting. "I should probably go. It was good to see you again, Dust" Cross says. I frown. "You don't have to go because we came home" I say and Dust looks at me. "I need to talk to you guys anyways" Dust says and we nod. "See you around, Dust" Cross says and leaves through a portal back to DreamTale. Dust goes to check on Blue before coming back.

Dust's POV

I come back to the living room and sit down again. 'Do I really want to tell them?' I think and sigh. "Tell us about the resets" Stretch says surprising me. 'Well....shit. I didn't know he was aware' I think. "How long?" I ask. "Since you found out Blue was pregnant.....You don't cry Dust" Papyrus says sitting down next to me. Chara decides to go fix us some lunch. "I've...already told Blue all of this....I couldn't keep it from him....not after he found out about the normal resets." I say and Papyrus frowns. "What do you mean about normal?" He asks. I sigh. "You know how this world....this AU we're in is just a part of a bigger thing called the Multiverse, right?" I ask and he nods.

"Well....when an AU resets, it's considered a normal reset. It only affects that AU." I say. "But?" Papyrus asks. I sigh and rub my head. "But the Multiverse isn't the biggest thing in our existence. it's like a set of nesting dolls. This Au is the smallest doll, sitting in the Multiverse which is sitting in an even bigger doll called the Nexus. The Nexus is the collection of all of the Multiverses. The kind of reset you are talking about occurs within the entire Multiverse. It affects the Multiverse as a whole." I say and Papyrus frowns. "So, who all is aware of these Multiverse level resets?" he asks, looking a little pissed. "Any Dust, nightmare, and PaperJam of any multiverse." I say.

Mirrorverse......UnderSwap....Killer's POV

I smile despite myself. After a week of training, I was back to my old self. "That was rather impressive" Blue says coming up. "I have Alphys to thank. She really knows how to put you on your toes" I say and Blue nods. "That she does. So, are you ready for this?" Blue asks and I nod. He nods. "I can get you back in, but It will be difficult to get you back out. Deltarune is well protected." Blue says and I nod. I already knew that this would be difficult, but I'm not giving up on Cross. Blue hands me a pendant. "This has a powerful sleep spell on it. Put it on Cross and he'll go right out." Blue says and I nod, putting it away. "Once you have him, let Lancer know and he will alert me" Blue says and I nod. "It's obvious that this will be our only chance to get Cross. Once I betray Shattered Dream, there's no going back." Blue says and we go through the open portal.

Mirrorverse.....Deltarune....Killer's POV

Blue and I separated as soon as we arrived in Deltarune. I quietly slip into the secret tunnel that leads into the larder of the castle. 'Blue should be distracting Shattered Dream right now.' I think as I quietly walk through the halls. "I don't see why any of this is your business, UnderSwap. I am quite capable of ruling my own AUs!" Shattered Dreams says as I pass the throne room. "Apparently not....you hide behind the walls of this castle, Dream. What are you scared of? And why is Cross so important?" Blue asks as I slip past the door. "He just is!" Dream says. "I need more than that. You've changed. You used to be on the front lines laying waste to entire AUs......looking at you now......it's pathetic." Blue says.

Looking around, I see Cross standing next to the throne, his eye sockets blankly staring ahead. I frown. 'This will be a challenge....' I think and slip into the throne room, managing not to be seen by Shattered Dream. That in itself is strange. Shattered Dream should have detected me. He should have sensed my emotions. However, I cannot ponder it right now. I had to get Cross. "I am just happy where I am, Blueberry! I am not an idiot. The more I control, the harder it becomes to control an area." Shattered says. Blue rolls his eyelights. "My area of control is much bigger than yours....unless you plan to lay claim to the AUs that Ink controlled?" Blue asks, making Shatter's eye socket twitch.

I manage to get to Cross and put the necklace around his neck. As promised, Cross falls to the floor, in an enchanted sleep. However, the noise caught Shatter's attention. "You! You're supposed to be in the dungeons!" He yells and comes at me with his staff. As he storms over, I notice something off about him. I shake my head and prepare to defend myself. Blue gets between us. "What the HELL, UnderSwap? Get out of my way!" Shatter orders. "I know the truth, Dream.....and your role in it. You helped Ink take someone important to me. Did you really believe that I wouldn't retaliate in kind?" Blue says, drawing his sword. Shattered Dream starts to fight with a ferocity that we hadn't expected. Blue manages to open a portal and I drag Cross through it.

Mirrorverse Blueberry's POV

I close the portal behind Killer and Cross, earning a roar of fury from Shattered Dream. I look at him and he rushes at me. 'His attacks....they're familiar.....is it possible...that this really isn't Shattered Dream?' I think as my body remembers the battle so long ago. "I will admit....you had me fooled for a while, Holo. Why don't you show your true form?" I say and Shattered chuckles. "So....you figured it out...." He says but doesn't give up his appearance. "You can hide behind someone's face, but you can't change your personality so easily. Where is the real Shattered Dream?" I say as I barely dodge his attack, the holos's staff, which now sported black inky blades, grazing my side.

The Holo chuckles and touches his chest. "Why, he's here with me.....Not that he'll be able to hear anything you have to say.....He was fun to play with, but his soul is almost used up......" The Holo says and dodges my attack and comes back with his own, slamming the blunt end of the staff into my already cracked face. I roll back and hold my face, fresh magic starting to seep from the newly opened cracks. "Too bad you took Cross from me....with his power, I could do a lot of damage in the Nexus.....seems like I will have to reclaim him later.....after I take your Soul" The Holo says and grabs my throat with incredible speed. "You really think you have what it takes to be a KING? You know nothing" The Holo says and I feel a sharp pain as he tries to wrench my soul from me.

Killer's POV

After some convincing, I managed to get Undyne to use her machine to open a portal back to Deltarune, using Blue's soul as a beacon. Rushing through the portal, I find Blue being held by the throat by what appears to be Shattered Dream, his sword forgotten on the floor. Blue screams out and I grab his sword and cut the arm holding him off. Blue falls to the floor as Shattered Dream....no, this monstrosity turns to me. I saw it earlier.....Shattered Dream's weakened soul trapped inside a thick slime that was darker than I've ever seen. It roars in rage and goes to attack me, but I roll out of the way, cutting at it's chest as it passes over me. Furious, it comes at me again. 'This is my only chance.....This is going to hurt like a bitch' I think.

As it comes at me, I drop the sword and let it bite into my shoulder. "You know, for what ever the hell you are....you're fucking stupid." I say and grab Shattered Dream's soul and pull it free of the slime. The monstrosity roars in pain and tries to get away with the soul. However, I already have it. The soul begins to crack and I place it next to my own in my chest, a familial bond forming between my soul and Shatter's. 'Why....why are you saving me?' Shatter's voice echos weakly in my head. 'Your brother would be soul shattered without you around. So, don't you fucking give up just yet!' I say back. Without the soul, The monstrosity can no longer hold onto his previous form. It's body shifted like a pool of ink until it solidified into a being that looked like a very pissed off Asgore.

However, the Asgore look alike doesn't attack, allowing me to leave. "You may have won this time.....but I will have that soul of yours someday, child. Then, the whole Nexus will fall." He says as I go through the portal before Undyne's machine starts to smoke and the portal collapses. "How is Blue?" I ask worried. Undyne sighs. "He...he's stable, for now. Whatever the hell attacked him weakened his soul trying to pry it out of him." She says and I nod. "What about Cross?" I ask, my vision starting to blur. I shake my head. Undyne frowns. "Cross will remain asleep as long as he wears that pendant. You should worry about yourself, Killer" She says making me sit on an empty bed.

'You're going to die if you don't let me go.....one body was never meant to hold two souls' Shattered Dream says, but sounding more....like he used to before this whole mess started. "No chance in hell, Dream" I say out loud, making Undyne jump. "Sorry, Undyne....crazy question....do you have any soul containers meant for monster souls?" I ask. She looks at me puzzled. "I do, but why do you ask? You're worrying me, Killer" She says. I sigh. "That thing had Dream's soul captive. It was using it as some kind of computer hard drive, but his soul was weakening. From what it said, my guess is that once Dream's had been completely used up, the bastard was going to use Cross's" I say.

She frowns. "and where is Dream's soul now?" She asks, but I'm sure she's already guessed. I rub my head. "Well, it was starting to crack and I didn't have much time..." I say and Undyne does a facepalm. "Please don't tell me that it's in your rib-cage with your soul" She says. "Ok, I won't tell you then" I say. Undyne grumbles. "You skeletons NEVER make anything easy on the poor doctors and scientists, do you?" She says and calls for Alphys. Alphys soon rushes in. "Alyphs, I need something from THAT lab. A soul container, one of the ones from THAT project." Undyne says and Alphys nods and goes off quickly. Undyne than turns to me. "As for YOU, YOU will be restrained to that bed. Any surge in activity could not only kill Dream, but you as well" She says and I let her restrain me.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale.......Error's POV

I smile as Ink talks excitedly with Nightshade. "They're really two of a kind, aren't they?" OG Dream says and I nod. "She really is something else...and Ink's really taken a shine to her" I say and he smiles sadly. "She....didn't make it to term in my Multiverse. It devastated Ink. So, he probably sees this as a second chance to be her mom" Dream says and I nod sadly. My Nightmare soon comes out to the balcony. "I know that you and Ink just recovered, but Dust is unresponsive....something's happened to UnderSwap Sans. Could you look into it?" He asks me and I nod. Ink notices my frown and joins us. "What's going on?" He asks concerned. 

"Something happened to my Blueberry. He and Dust have a soul bond, and Dust is unresponsive." I say and he nods. "Then, let's check it out!" Nightshade says, excited at the prospect of seeing more of the multiverse. I shake my head. "No, Nightshade. I need you here to help protect this place" I say. She pouts crossing her arms. "Fine" She mutters and flies off again. Nightmare opens a portal. "Please be cautious....I do not know what you will find in UnderSwap" He says and we nod and go through. "God speed, my friends"


	15. The Price of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chara finally tells stretch what's been going on with her.....well, Blue does in the OG Multiverse
> 
> In the Mirrorverse, Truths are revealed and Lives restored

OG Multiverse......UnderSwap.....Chara's POV

'I should have known he wouldn't really notice. He's been too focused on making sure Dust doesn't hurt Blue. Maybe....I could have been more clear too.' I think in the kitchen as Papyrus and Dust talk about these Multiverse Level resets. Blue soon comes into the kitchen, rubbing his eye sockets with a yawn. I smile softly. "Hey Blue. You feeling ok?" I ask and he nods. "Yeah, what's Dust and Papy talking about?" He asks as he sits at the table. "The Multiverse level resets." I say putting a plate of lunch in front of Blue before fixing myself a plate. "I was wondering when he'd get around to that. Dust has been very....attentive lately." Blue says and I sit down. "Do you blame him? Most of the resets he's been through ended before you got pregnant." I say.

Blue nods. "I guess so.....He won't tell me everything, but he does tell me the important things. I think he's just trying to spare me the nightmares." Blue says and eats. I eat as well before my curiosity gets the better of me. "Nightmares?" I ask and Blue nods. "Almost every night......He'll wake up, not knowing where he is. Then, he hugs me like he's never going to see me again." Blue says and I nod. "I...I can understand that feeling....." I say and Blue looks at me. "Chara....are you ok?" He asks. 'Shit.....Blue radar is working still' I think. I give him a sad smile. "Yeah....just tired, Blue. I've tried talking with Papy, but he's so focused on Dust and these resets....there just hasn't been a good time to talk to him. You know how he gets" I say.

Blue looks at me a minute before his eyelights turn to stars. "OH MY STARS, CHARA! YOU'RE PREGNANT TOO?" Blue says before I can stop him. "Can you say it any louder, Blue? I don't think Toriel heard you" I say and he blushes as he rubs his head. Dust soon comes in shaking his head. "Wow, that's one way to break the tension, Blue" Dust says and gives Blue a kiss on the skull. "What do you mean?" Blue asks and Dust gives us a big grin. "Papyrus fainted once he heard chara was pregnant" He says with a chuckle. I shake my head with a sigh. "I better go check on the bonehead" I say and get up. I go to the living room.

Blue's POV

I watch Chara go to the living room. "I don't know why he didn't notice sooner. Chara is getting a baby bump" Dust says and I nod. "Papy tends to overlook a few things when he's focused on something else." I say and finish eating. Dust sits next to me with a small smile. "I...I know everything is kind of crazy right now, but everything is out of hands. My part in this is done, as far as I know. I'll have to wait for Nightmare to contact me again" Dust says and I frown. "I thought he wasn't a good guy." I say. Dust sighs. "It's very complicated......He is, but at the same time, he isn't. I don't know if that makes sense" Dust says. "A little...kind of how Chara has done bad, but she's not a bad person." I say and he nods "exactly, Blue. Nightmare also has his reasons." Dust says.

"Well, I just hope things settle down again." I say and Dust nods. "As do I, Blue, but anything can happen." Dust says. I look at him curiously. "Did Dream and Nightmare go where Ink went? I've been worried about Ink...." I say and Dust takes my hands in his. He smiles softly. "I know for certain that Ink is fine, Blue. Yes, they are now where he is. I'm sure everything is going to work out this time....you'll see" He says and kisses me gently. I smile a little before I yawn. He chuckles. "I knew you were still tired. The twins are taking a lot out you" He says and picks me up bridal style. We pass through the living room and see Chara poking at Papy's face with a finger.

Chara's POV

Dust goes upstairs with Blue as I continue to attempt to wake up my Bonehead. He finally starts to come around and I sigh. "Are you ok, Papyrus?" I ask as he sits up. "I think so?" He says and gets back to his feet. "What do you remember?" I ask. He rubs his head. "I was talking to Dust about the resets...." He says. I nod. "And?" I say tapping my toe, getting a little irritated. "Then....Blue yelled about you being.......Chara.....Are you really?" He asks looking at me and I nod. "Been trying to tell you for ages, Bonehead" I say before I yelp as he picks me you bridal style and kisses me. "I'm sooo sorry, Chara. I'll make up for it, I promise." He says making me giggle. "I thought you didn't make Promises"

Mirrorverse......UnderSwap.....Error's POV

"Be careful, Ink. Things may look fine, but who knows what happened to Blue" I say after the portal closes. Ink nods. "SO, WHAT NOW?" Nightshade says and I facepalm. "Nightshade....." I say and she looks at me with a big grin. "Yeah, dad?" She says. "I thought I told you to stay in DreamTale" I say. Nightshade kicks her foot a few times, attempting to be cute. "Mom said I could come" She says and Ink frowns. "I said if it was ok with Error!" Ink says. I shake my head. "Too late now....Just stay close...and no talking, Nightshade. The enemy could be right around the cor-oof" I say as I run right into UnderSwap Undyne. "You're late" She says helping me up. "I expected you here as soon as Sans went unconscious." She says.

"Keep your eye patch on. We only just found out." I say and she looks us over. "Why do you look a bit like Ink? And why does that new Ink look a bit like you? Your levels are higher as well." Undyne says. I sigh. That was the problem with Undyne....she was always curious and didn't care how blunt she was. "Simple story....we both underwent Soul Transference....." I say and she nods. "Well, that explains a lot." She says and leads us to the infirmary. "How's Dust?" She asks as we follow her. "He's stable, just not waking up. He must have took the brunt of the pain from Blue" I say and she nods. "Sounds like something a bondmate would do." She says and we nod.

"So...who's the kid?" Undyne asks. Nightshade looks at her annoyed. "I'm not a kid!" She says, but her voice cracks a little, ruining her attempt at being angry. Undyne raises an eyebrow. "Sure you're not" She says. "She's my daughter......our Ink was pregnant before he...." I say and she looks at me. "Error, what's going on? First, our Ink is evil. then, he's dead. Now he's not evil? It's all very confusing." Undyne says and I sigh. I look at Nightshade. "Since everything is safe, you go fly around the palace, but not inside!" I say and Nightshade smiles before running off. I sigh rubbing my head. "The Ink we knew that did those horrific things....was a fake." I say and Undyne frowns. "You mean a Holo?" She asks.

Ink and I look at her confused. "Sans had a run in with one. Good thing Killer got to him in time. The bastard almost took Sans's Soul to use as his personal database." Undyne says as we get into the infirmary. There, reading a book, was Killer. "I thought I told you to rest, Killer" Undyne says with a frown. Killer looks up at us. His hoodie was missing. what I thought was a hoodie was actually thick bandages across his chest and shoulder. "I am resting. Hey Error...you look well" Killer says making me smile a little. Undyne taps her foot. "You know very well what I meant! I still haven't figured how to safely separate your soul from Dream's yet!" She says making Ink and I worry. Unfortunately....or maybe fortunately, Killer was ignoring Undyne as he read his book.

"So, how long have you been in UnderSwap?" I ask sitting in the chair next to the bed. "About two weeks. The first week, Undyne was piecing me back together. Second week, I was training with Alpyhs. Went to save Cross.....he's still in a magically induced coma until his soul is repaired......Blue helped, but....that wasn't Dream.....it was something else...." He says looking up at me from his book. I nod. "A Holo....probably even the one that killed our Ink." I say and Killer frowns. "I heard you killed our Ink" He says. I shake my head. "It was a holo....like the one you fought. Our Ink ended up in The Crossroads after our fight in OuterTale....." I say. 

"And you found his soul and did a soul transference?" Killer asks and I nod. Killer frowns and puts a hand over where his soul is. "That Holo....the Inkposter......he tried to break me, but he couldn't.....after so many generations....the soul is hard to break" Killer says. Undyne looks at him confused. "Killer, what are you talking about?" Undyne asks. He looks at her seriously. "My soul has been through twenty-three different Soul Transferences........the souls of my friends....my family before That Inkposter could wipe them clean of who they were......It's hard sometimes.....to concentrate." Killer says and we nod. "It was the only way to keep them safe......" Killer says putting the book on the bedside table before laying on his side.

"Just get some rest, Killer.....I'm glad to see you're alive" I say and he nods without looking at me. I stand up and go over to Undyne. "Maybe with that bit of information, I'll be able to safely separate his soul and Dream's. It will take a bit, but they're not in much danger." Undyne says and we nod as she takes us to Blue. "Sans...he's been out of it since Killer got him back. He's lost a large amount of magic and the cracks are even worse now. He also has slashes in his side. They're being difficult to treat as well. Whatever cut him had a poison that's not letting it seal up." Undyne says and I see Ink frown. "I could use my power to repair him, remember Error? Just like I healed myself back in DreamTale" Ink says.

Undyne nods. "I'm not completely sure about this....but if you're certain you can" She says and Ink nods. "I'll go sit with Killer" I say and let Ink get to work. I sit beside Killer again. "Things are going to get better, Killer" I say. "They usually do before everything goes to shit." He says with his back still to me. "You knew...about The Crossroads....the Nexus....all of it, didn't you?" I ask. He nods. ".....I....I was once a Holo....." He says making me frown. "I met the original Killer a long time ago....long before he was aware of the Multiverse. I was scared...lost...and alone. I never wanted to be like the others....bent on destroying everything in some sick kind of jealousy....I just wanted to live my life." He says and lays on his back.

"Funny thing about Holos.....they only take souls....however....if one is given willingly....it's a perfect match....we make the body and soul much stronger......" He says. "You...." I say and I notice him start to cry. ".....I loved him......heh.....love....such a foreign thing to a holo......He loved me for who I was....and we completed each other." Killer says. I can't find myself seeing him as anyone but Killer. "What happened to him afterwards?" I ask and he looks at me. "Our personalities merged. The best and the worst of each other balancing us out. When a soul is taken, it's already damaged. Over time, being forced to give up secrets, memories, lives....it takes a toll and the soul eventually breaks." Killer says.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale.....Horror's POV

I stretch and go to find my Nightmare. "God speed, my friends" I hear him say on the balcony. As I come out, I see the new Ink and Error go through a portal with their daughter. The Portal closes and Nightmare looks at me, concerned. "Horror, love, are you alright?" He asks and I nod. "Yeah. What's going on?" I ask and hug him. "Dust has become unresponsive. Something must have happened to UnderSwap Sans" He says and I nod before nuzzling his neck. "Horror?" He asks. "Need you.....miss you" I say and he sighs, holding me close. "I'm so sorry, my love.....Things have been so chaotic lately." He says. "I...I know....I just want to stay like this for a while" I say and Nightmare nods.

"There are times when I...I hate you so much....I don't even know why.....then, the feeling is gone and I'm crying because I hated you. The kid's messing with my emotions and I have to keep away to protect you......" I say and Nightmare chuckles a little. I look up at him. "What's so damn funny?" I ask trying to keep my temper in check. "Nothing love. The Dream from Ink's Multiverse made something to keep the apples safe from corruption." He says. I look at him in surprise. "Does that mean?" I ask and he nods. "I no longer have to carry them. I'm getting my strength back" He says with a smile. I hug him, unable to contain my happiness.


	16. Different Bonds, Different Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are picking up all over both the Mirrorverse and the OG Multiverse

Mirrorverse.....UnderSwap.....Error's POV

I think for a few minutes. "Who you used to be doesn't matter. You're Killer now, and my friend" I say and he looks at me with a small smile. "I should probably get some sleep before Undyne gets pissed at me" He says and I nod as I get up. I go to check on how Ink is doing with Blue. "I've done all I can...now it's up to him. He could still fall due to the magic loss" Ink says and Undyne nods. "What if we brought Dust to him? Shouldn't Dust's healthier soul be able to boost Blue's?" I ask and Unydne thinks a moment. "In theory, It should work, but no promises" She says and I nod. Nightshade soon comes in, but something's wrong. "Nightshade, are you alright?" I ask and she whimpers a little as her eyes glitch out a little.

I frown. "You should lay down" I say and help her to an empty bed. Undyne and Ink rush over. "What's wrong with Nightshade?" Ink asks worried as I was. "She inherited my.....problem..... She's crashing." I say and Ink nods and sits nearby. "Question is what triggered it. Normally something has to trigger it" I say. "I'll go check things out" Ink says and I nod. Undyne checks Nightshade over. "She was flying when it happened, but she wasn't that high up. She has a few missing feathers from where she shielded herself upon hitting the ground" Undyne says as she makes sure Nightshade is alright. Ink soon returns shaking his head. "According to Alphys, on of those annoying dogs freaked her out." Ink says and I groan. "I hate those things" I say. "I'm pretty sure she will too once she wakes up. You go ahead and go after Dust. I can watch over her" Undyne says and we nod. I open a portal and go through with Ink.

OG Multiverse......Nightmare's castle.....Killer's POV

I'm curled up in my room. With Nightmare gone to that other Multiverse....the emotions were coming back.....and it hurt. There's a knock on the door. "Killer....are you ok?" Horror says from the other side. "Go...go away" I say trying not to give anything away. I sigh and get up. I open the door to find Horror was still there. He frowns. "Killer...." He says and I look down. His hand gently touches my face. I look at him. He has a small smile. "Please, Killer, let me help" He says softly. I tremble a little before I nod. I let him into my room and he leads me to the bed. Having me lay down, he cuddles with me. "Killer....you can always talk to me...." Horror says.

I don't say anything for a few minutes. "I still see them......" I say and he nods. He doesn't need explanation. Horror knows exactly who I mean. "I...I can still hear them.....they never leave me....It hurts" I say and Horror nods, rubbing my back. "Running hasn't helped.....ridding yourself of emotion....you need to face it, Killer" Horror says. I look at him. "And what do you know about it? You didn't...." I say mad at first but my anger losing it's fire quickly. "You're right....I don't know exactly how you're feeling. I only killed one kid....over and over and over, but....some runs...they were my friend. I couldn't kill them without remembering the good times....Killing friends is always hard....no matter how many it is" he says.

I nod and hug him closer to me. Horror was right, as always. He may be a goof, and a bit of an idiot at times, but.....he was a damn good friend. "At least you did it for the right reasons....right?" Horror asks, making me think. ".....I don't even know anymore....." I say and he nods. "I forget things too.....question should be....would you do it over?" He says, making me think. "C-can I have time to think about that one?" I ask and he nods. "Take as long as ya need, Killer." Horror says and starts to get up. I stop him and he smiles softly at me. "can you stay? Just until I fall asleep? I....I don't want to be alone" I say and he nods. "Sure thing, Killer" He says and cuddles up with me again.

The Crossroads....Monastery of the Guardians....Forge's POV

Something was about to go down, and it was making my fingers twitch. Looking out at the vast Darkness of The Crossroads, I can see hoards of Holo....just waiting at the edge of the light....waiting for something. I frown as Craft comes to stand beside me. "Your watch ended an hour ago, Forge." He says. I don't look at him. "What are they waiting for?" I ask and Craft looks out at The Crossroads. "Maybe they know something we don't" Craft says and I feel a shiver go down my spine. "I don't like it....they're like cats waiting at a mousehole, and we're the mice. Another thing....Eldest still hasn't returned...." I say and Craft nods. "I worry about him as well....It's not like him to vanish like this." Craft says.

I go down to the courtyard and ring the bell. The guardians gather, speaking in low whispers. I clear my throat and they quiet down. "By now, You have all noticed the Holos gathering around the Monastery. From now on, No one goes on patrol alone. Even then, you must be careful. Something has changed, but we're not sure what yet. Don't be idiots out there. Get yourselves back in one piece. That's an order!" I say. Emmanuel looks worried. "Does this also have to do with Eldest dissappearing?" He asks causing the others to start whispering again. I frown. "QUIET!" I yell and everything goes quiet. "For now, we can only assume the worst. You all know how to spot a Holo with a soul by now." I say.

Craft stands beside me. "For now, we do not know what has happened to Eldest. If he should reappear, be on guard. Make sure you accurately identify him as our Eldest before allowing him into the Monastery. For all we know.....he's fallen to a holo, or he could be dust. We cannot allow our connections to be a weakness for the Holos to use against us. Stay vigilant....stay safe" Craft says. I nod. "Those not on patrol will take shifts guarding the wall. Just because we have the Dreamer's Light again, that does not mean the Holos may not have found a way around it. Any travels to your Multiverses will be by portal only, and the portals opened within the Monastery. We cannot risk a holo slipping through" I say.

"Once again...Stay safe, stay vigilant. Dark times are ahead of us. Remember what we have taught you and be the Guardians that The Warrior died to rise. We have faith in every one of you." Craft says and I nod. "Dismissed" I say and the Guardians disperse. Emmanuel and Archer come up to us. "Sir, what about the tunnels under the Monastery? The ones leading to Warrior's Rest?" He asks. I nod. "I will check them out myself." I say and he nods. Archer frowns. "But you just said for no one to go out alone" She points out. "I'll go with him" Emmanuel says, making Archer frown. "You...you better stay safe....all those holos out there....it's kind of scary" Archer says.

OG Multiverse......UnderSwap....Dust's POV

Something was off....I wasn't sure what, just that it was. "Dust?" Blue says from the bed. I couldn't sleep again, my mind was working overtime again. I smile at Blue. "I'm ok, Blue. Go back to sleep." I say and he shakes his head. "No way....What's wrong?" He asks coming over to wrap his arms around my neck. "I don't know....but something feels....wrong...very wrong" I say and he nods. "I feel it too.....like a shadow over the whole Multiverse." He says and I nod. "I don't know, Blue....I guess I'm just a bit scared" I say honestly. He looks up at me worried. "You're never scared" He says. I sigh and gently rub his face. "I always knew what was going to happen before....but now....." I say and he smiles.

"It's called living, Dust. Living...true Living can't be reset or predicted. That's what makes it fun." Blue says and I smile before kissing his skull. "Yeah, I guess so.....I...I forgot how to actually live instead of anticipate." I say and Blue nods. He then smiles a bit. "Do you want to see the twins? Undyne said we should be able to make out their features by now" Blue says and I nod with a smile. Blue lead me back to bed and I help him lay down. As I lay down beside him, Blue lifts his shirt so his belly is exposed. There, we can see two small skeletons. Their eyelights light up in response to the increase of light. I smile at them. One has blue eyelights like Blue. The other has purple ringed with white. "They're beautiful, Blue. I can't wait to hold them"

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale....Error's POV

I walk through the portal and go find my Nightmare. I only find the other one with his brother. "Have you seen my Nightmare?" I ask and they nod. "He went to get some rest with Horror" Dream says. "What's going on? Is Blue ok?" Nightmare asks. I sigh. "I was able to heal the damage but he needs his bondmate with him if he's going to have any chance of waking up" Ink says and they nod. We head to the infirmary and find Dust looking around confused. "Dust..." I say and he jumps startled. "W-where's Blue?" He asks a little worried. I frown. "Back in UnderSwap. We came to get you. He needs you" I say and Dust nods. "The bond feels so weak..." He says and I help him to his feet again. "He lead a rescue mission with Killer to get Cross. Turns out Shattered Dream wasn't our Dream but something much worse" I say and he nods. Ink opens the portal this time and we go through.

OG Multiverse......Nightmare's Castle....Killer's POV

I wake up to find Horror fast asleep beside me. I smile softly and carefully get up. I cover Horror back up and leave the room. Walking down the hall, I think about what Horror asked. 'Would I change it? Hmmmm' Suddenly, I hear something drip. I follow the sound to the Throne room. "Nightmare? Is that you?" I say coming into the room. I frown when I see someone like PaperJam, but much older. He was leaning against the throne for support and looked badly hurt. Forgetting to be careful, I rush over. Before I reach him, a figure made of what looks like ink drops from the ceiling. "Run, child....run" The old man says. I back up a little but stand my ground. "No way in Hell, Gramps. I don't abandon anyone" I say and prepare to fight.

The ink figure laughs. "You're so much more naive than your mirrored counterpart.....this should be easy" It says and charges at me. I roll out of the way and pull out my knife. 'What the hell am I thinking? My knife won't hurt this asshole' I think. I barely manage to dodge before I'm backed into a corner. 'Shit....' I think as the ink figure gets in close. "Interesting....your soul isn't as strong as the other......." It says and turns away. "I will have to go for the other then....you are no longer needed" It says and I manage to dodge enough for the ink figure to miss my soul. It soon vanishes through a portal, leaving the old man behind. I go over to him slowly due to my own injury.

He's sitting in the floor and I sit next to him. "You are either very brave, very foolish, or both, Child" He says. I rub my head. "I don't really know what I am......" I say and he looks at me curiously. "I've....done some things that I'm not proud of....hurt friends...and family. It takes everything not to go insane from the guilt I feel....and nothing can stop my sins from crawling on my back." I say. The Old man smiles knowingly. "Nothing will ever make it stop hurting....You can become numb to it, but that's not dealing with it.....you could own up to it, and hope for forgiveness......or.." He says. "Or what?" I ask. He looks at me. "You can try your best to keep it from happening again....to work for redemption." He says as part of his skull starts to melt. He was about to fall.

I frown. "Tell me...do you regret it?" He asks and I nod. "Everyday...." I say and he smiles. "Then, you have learned........please....grant this old man a final request" He says. I look at him. "Depends" I say. "Allow your soul to consume mine.....you will have my strength for what's to come" He says and I nod. I bring out my soul as he does the same. Instead of bonding, My soul absorbed the other soul. "Thank you, Child...." He says. "Who are you?" I ask. "Eldest...." He says before his body turns to dust. I feel my bones ripple uncomfortably as my soul starts to settle again, growing accustomed to the added power. I hear a rip and look down at my pants. "Shit...." I say noticing the rip down the side of each leg.

I go back to my room after cleaning up the dust Eldest left behind. Passing a mirror, I notice part of my skull looks like PaperJam's. While it was still white, the tear trails were now a Burgundy color....almost like dried blood. My soul had also taken on a darker shade of red. I sigh and go into my room. My soul felt...lighter somewhat, either from the conversation or what the old man did....I wasn't sure. "Killer? What happened to you?" Horror asks as I sit on the bed. "....I regret....but I wouldn't do it over......Does that make sense?" I ask and he nods as he hugs me. He giggles a little. "You're squishy!" He says and I can't help but chuckle. "It would appear so.....this is what happened"


	17. Times Lost, Lives Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Mirrorverse Blue makes a full recovery and Killer reveals the dark origin of the Holos, OG Killer and Nightshade meet in the most unlikely of places.
> 
> Meanwhile in the OG Multiverse, Blue is losing his grip on which timeline is true

Mirrorverse....UnderSwap....Error's POV

"Thank the stars, I didn't think you would make it back" Undyne says. "You don't hold much faith in people, do you?" Ink says. "My faith is in numbers and research. People are too many variables to hold much faith in." She says. "Ouch, do you kiss Alphys with that mouth?" I ask making her blush. "D-don't you drag Alphys into this!" She says as we bring Dust to where Blue is laying. Dust frowns and looks at Undyne who nods. "Let's give them some privacy." Undyne says and we nod. We leave Dust alone with Blue. "How is Nightshade?" I ask and Undyne sighs. "She's fine....." She says. "But?" Ink says. "I don't have a clue where she is now." She says rubbing her forehead.

I frown. "At least tell me that she's in UnderSwap" I say and Undyne shakes her head. "She opened a portal when she woke up. Said something about someone calling and left." Undyne says and ink nods. "she must have inherited your Ink's ability to talk with the creators" Ink says and I nod. "All we can do is hope that they lead her on a safe path." I say and Ink nods. After almost an hour, Dust finds us. "He's awake." He says and we follow him back to the infirmary. Blue is sitting up when we arrive, a mirror in hand. His hand feeling where the hole in his skull had been. "Thank you...." He says when we come up. Inks smiles. "it was nothing, Blue." He says and blue chuckles.

"I've been walking around with that hole for who knows how many years? Unable to recover from it and you fix it and say It's nothing." Blue says and shakes his head. "You were hurt. If my Horror would let me, I would help him too." Ink says and we nod. "But you have Dust to thank for you being awake. We thought you would fall" I say and he nods. "I plan on 'thanking' him later. Right now, we have more pressing matters." Blue says and we nod. "I've managed to separate our Dream's soul from Killer. Until it can become strong enough to produce a body again, I have him sealed in a soul container." Undyne says and we nod. Blue frowns. "So...the Holo King has been revealed, but that doesn't give us much." Blue says.

I nod. "from what my Ink passed along to me, The Holo King won't stay where he knows he's exposed. He won't return to Deltarune" I say and Blue nods. "He....He's after me" Killer says coming over. Undyne frowns. "I thought I told you to rest" She says, putting her hands on her hips. Killer shrugs. "I couldn't sleep anymore. Besides, I have some information that might be useful" He says and Undyne makes him sit in a chair. "Please, Killer, continue." I say. He sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Now, this may be old info, but it's been a very long time since I considered myself a Holo" Killer says, making Blue frown a little. "Blue, he's not like the others" I say and he sighs.

"Whenever the Holo King found himself without a soul, he would often hide himself away. He would locate a target and stalk it for a while before even making an attempt. When not doing this, he's normally in the Holoverse" Killer says, confusing us. "There's a Multiverse dedicated to those freaks? No offense meant" Blue says and Killer nods. "Everyone has a Multiverse they belong to. The only way into the Holoverse without being detected is to locate the PaperJam of Holoverse. However....that's easier said than done. He hasn't been seen since the beginning of the Nexus itself" Killer says and we nod. I think a minute. "Is it possible that he found love like you did?" I ask.

Killer nods. "If that is the case, it will be almost impossible to find him. He could be anyone." Killer says. "I've noticed something...." Undyne says. We look at her. "Now, this is just a theory....I'm not the Holo expert. It seems that Holos either prefer Powerful souls or souls close to what their bodies can handle." She says and Killer nods. "Even with Holo bodies being nothing but piles of ink and slime, they do have limits. Too little power and the body won't be able to hold its shape. Too much and you risk burning yourself out trying to use the soul." Killer says and Undyne nods. "With me, The Killer I fell in love with was the right fit. We were able to merge and become much stronger for it." Killer says.

OG Multiverse.....Nightmare's Castle....Killer's POV

I am packing for a trip when Horror wakes up. "Huh....Killer, you going somewhere?" Horror asks, scratching at the hole in his skull. I nod. "There's something I need to do.....a promise to a Friend I need to keep" I say and he wraps his arms around my waist. I sigh and look at him. "I....I'll miss you......" Horror says and I smile the first true smile I've had in a long time. "I'll try to get back safely, Horror." I say and he nuzzles my face. "You'd better......." He says and I chuckle. "Anyways, I have to go. Try to stay out of trouble, Horror" I say and he nods. I get up and sigh. "Ok....now to try this out." I say and focus. Raising my hand, I open a portal, but it looks....wrong....warped. "Killer....." Horror says scared. I smile back at him. "I'll be back before you know it, Love. Don't worry" I say and go through it. "I already know it...." Horror says.

Holoverse........still OG Killer's POV

The portal closes behind me and I look around. It was as dark as Eldest said it was in the memories he passed on to me. I put my hood up to hide my white skull and move on. 'He's at his weakest when he possesses no soul. This may be the only chance anyone will get to end this' Eldest's words ring in my head. I wander in the darkness for some time before I bump into something....solid. The object was a female that, like me....didn't belong here. This puzzled me a moment. She rubs her head. "Sorry about that. I got turned around" She says, folding and unfolding her wings a bit unsure. I shake my head. "Nightshade?" I ask without thinking. 

She looks at me confused. "Yeah?.....have we met before?" She asks. I shake my head. "Not me, but Eldest has" I say and she smiles. "Eldest is here?" She asks. I rub my chest a little. "Yes...and no" I say and she nods sadly. "Anyways, why are you here?" She asks. "I could ask you the same." I say as we keep walking. "....The voices told me to come here." She says and I look at her confused. "Voices?" I ask and she nods. "They call themselves the creators, whoever they are." She says and I nod. 'makes sense now.....' I think and we soon come to what looks like Snowdin, but it was twisted almost beyond recognition. Nightshade frowns. "He's not here....we should keep moving" She says and keeps walking.

I frown and catch up to her. "Who?" I ask. She doesn't look at me. "The Holo King.....I'd know that bastard's smell anywhere....even if he had a soul" She says and we keep going. "So, what do you plan on doing once you find him?" I ask. For several minutes, she says nothing. ".....I'm going to kill him" She says, her eyes going black. "And just how do you plan on doing that?" I ask walking with her. "Haven't figured it out yet, but I will" She says and I sigh. "So, you're planning on fighting someone that's more powerful than yourself....without a plan?" I say. She growls. "Just because I don't have a plan, that doesn't mean I won't have one" She growls. 

I hold up my hands. "Easy, femme fatale, I meant no disrespect." I say and she nods. She stops when we get into waterfall. "Hmmmm hard to smell anything here. Too much water" She says and I nod. "We should probably find somewhere to rest. No good to fight while exhausted" I say and she nods. We soon find a place to camp for a while. "So, got anything yet?" I ask. She sighs. "Only an idea of how to seal him but not destroy him." She says. "Well, it's something" I say and she nods. "We'll need an empty soul container. He's slime and ink, right? If we can get him into one of those containers, he will trapped" She says. "That's easier said than done. If even a drop of his body is free, he'll be back" I say.

OG Multiverse.....UnderSwap....Blue's POV

I yawn and head downstairs. The exhaustion was finally starting to slow down. I go to the Kitchen to find Chara making breakfast. "Heya Blue! Dust and Papyrus went out to do some training with Alphys. They'll be back later" She says and I nod sitting down at the table. Chara sets a plate of pancakes in front of me and sits down across from me. "So, how are you holding up, Sans?" She asks. "Honestly?" I say cutting up my pancakes.....but they start to bleed. I flip out pushing myself from the table. Chara looks at me worried. "Sans, are you ok?" She asks, but her eyes are glowing red....like when she was possessed by Frisk. "S-stay b-back!" I say a little louder than I meant to.

Chara frowns and gets up. "Sans.....I'm worried about you....What's wrong?" She asks, but I'm more focused on the bowl she made the pancake batter in. It was sitting on the counter....with a bit of dust around it on the counter. "Where?" I say starting to back away from her. She frowns again. "Where what, Sans?" She says. "Where are they really, Chara! Papy and....and Dust?" I yell at her. She frowns again. "Sans....I already told you. They went to train with Alphys. Sans....you don't look well...." She says and tries to touch my shoulder. "S-stay back!" I yell summoning a bone to block her with. She looks at me alarmed. "Sans....please....you have got to calm down" She says holding up her hands.

Dust's POV

"S-STAY BACK!" Papyrus and I hear as we get to the door after training with Alphys. We look at each other and run inside. In the kitchen, we find Blue threatening Chara with one of his bone attacks. "YOU LIE, CHARA! T-THEIR DUST.....YOU PUT IT IN THE PANCAKES!" Blue yells. Chara looks at us with pleading eyes. Blue goes to attack her, but I get in the way. Blue blinks a moment before blacking out. I manage to catch him with the arm that wasn't broken by his attack. Papyrus rushes over to Chara. "Chara, are you alright?" He asked very worried and very confused....just like I was. She nods. "He...he was fine and then, h-he started to flip out.....he thought I hurt you guys......" She says.

I sigh. "Papyrus, what we talked to Undyne about...." I say and he nods. Chara looks confused. "Blue remembers the other timelines......the good and the bad...they're getting mixed up." Papyrus explains. Chara looks worried. "So....he's going crazy?" She asks very worried about Blue. I shake my head. "No, he just needs some time to sort through the different memories. Papyrus already...had planned for this situation. I'm taking him to the shed for now." I say. Papyrus shakes his head. "Have chara bandage that arm. I'll take him." He says and gently picks up his brother before leaving. "The shed?" Chara asks and I nod. "We remodeled it into a small house." I say and sit down.

"Some space away from you will allow him to calmly work through this. It's not your fault, Chara. So, don't start blaming yourself" I say as she bandages up my arm. "I...I can't help but feel like it is....all those resets....the genocides..." She says. "Even if they were all pacifist runs, Chara, he would still be confused. So, please, calm yourself. I'll help him through it." I say and she nods. She looks at the pancakes and sighs. "I'll make him something else....pancakes won't be a good idea right now" She says and I nod. "Don't worry, Chara. I'll eat them" I say making her smile a little. Papyrus soon comes back as I eat the pancakes. "He's still out of it. I was worried about this...." He says and sits down.

"I'll get him through it, Papyrus, I promise" I say and he nods. "I certainly hope you can keep that promise, Dust." He says as I finish the pancakes. "They were amazing, Chara. Blue would have loved them" I say and she smiles a little. "I made him some bacon and eggs instead." She says handing me a small covered bowl. "Thanks, you're the best, Chara" I say and go to the shed. Once inside, I see the Blue has woken up and is very confused. "Feeling better, Blue?" I ask coming over. He nods and frowns seeing my arm in a sling. "Dust....what happened to your arm?" He asks worried. "Oh boy......eat first, Blue" I say handing him the bowl with a spoon for the scrambled eggs.

It doesn't take him long to polish off the breakfast Chara made him. He sets the bowl on the bedside table. "So, what happened?" He asks concerned. I sigh. "Blue....you almost killed Chara" I say and he looks at me in shock. "How long have you been remembering the other timelines?" I ask seriously. He frowns, thinking. "Since...since Papy told me the truth about the resets" he says and I nod. "Blue, for now, we're going to live here in the shed. With your memories mixed up, it will be safer for everyone involved." I say and he nods looking at my arm. "Dust....I...I'm so sorry" He cries and I hug him with my good arm. "It'll be ok, Blue...we'll get through this, Promise"


	18. Small Bundles And Fresh Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OG Killer and Nightshade meet an ink pile that knew Eldest. Through the discovery of one of Nightshade's hidden talents, They make a startling discovery about the Holoverse.
> 
> In the OG Multiverse, Both Blue and Chara go into labor at the same time.
> 
> In The Crossroads, Error's life is in danger and Ink is scared to death

Holoverse.....OG Killer's POV

I get up and stretch. Despite being tired, I couldn't sleep much. I instead watched over Nightshade so she could sleep. So many thoughts swirled around in my head....memories of watching her grow up....I rub my forehead. Eldest never said that it would be easy sorting through the memories, but some warning would have been nice. I watch her sleep, her wings twitching slightly in her sleep. The Creators brought her here for a reason.....whatever it was, I only hoped that it wouldn't get us killed. I wanted to make it back to Horror in one piece. "Pa-PaperJam......" A crackling voice says, making me automatically get into a defensive stance.

"Who's there? Show yourself" I say keeping my hood up. "Pa-PaperJam....no...stranger.....smell like Pa-PaperJam...." A mass of ink says slinging across the ground. It sounded like Fresh, sending chills down my spine. "Jam...Jam....Jammy Jam....where?" It continues to say as it comes closer. "I'm not PaperJam! S-stay Back!" I say, waking Nightshade. "Huh? What's going on?" Nightshade asks, rubbing her eye. The mass of Ink retreats back, threatened by the light from the magic escaping Nightshade's skull. "Jam...Jam....Jammy Jam.....miss.....you...." The Fresh blob says sadly. I look at Nightshade with a shrug. "I'm sorry, but I'm not him. Look somewhere else." I say unsure what I was going to do if it gets aggressive.

"Jam....Jam.....Jammy....Jam....gone?" It asks. "That's right." I say and Nightshade slowly tries to get closer to the Ink pile. It shudders but doesn't move away. "Nightshade, keep your distance" I say. "He's not going to hurt us......he's....upset....hurting" she says and slowly reaches out to him. "Shade, I wouldn't-" I stop dead. The Ink pile shudders slightly under her touch before it starts to take shape. "You poor thing....your creator didn't care about how you felt....it's ok now....you can be whatever you want" Shade coos to it. The pile soon stops changing, settling on a form that reminds me of Fresh, but also Ink. 'What the hell?' I think as the being starts to actually solidify and gain color.

"There you are, Sweetsoul. How do you feel now?" Nightshade asks as he sits down, a bit disoriented. "Confused......" He says and she nods. "It's ok, get your barings." Shade says as I watch her. 'What a strange power she has.....Ink can't create souls, but she can with ease....' I think as Nightshade sits beside him. "Do you have a name?" She asks calmly. "......Ink....I...I think...bra, what happened to meh? Last I remember....I was back in CraftsTale....." He says and I start to understand. "I think I may be able to answer that." I say and they look at me. "EldestTale, CraftsTale, and Darkverse were never destroyed......Once two or more Multiverses interact, they form bonds that cannot be broken.....the places we have seen so far of this place are familiar....." I say and rub my chin with my right hand.

"Maybe because you and Eldest performed a Soul Transference. Eldest.....he...." Nightshade trails off and I nod. "He was a Holo once." I say and Ink looks at us. "I remember Eldest...He was the PaperJam of EldestTale, but he changed one day." Ink says and we look at him. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Well, he used to be pretty reckless, getting into all sorts of trouble. Then, one day, he suddenly seemed to become more mature. I know this because like other Fresh Sanses, I can travel the Nexus." Ink says and I nod, thinking. "Eldest met the PaperJam Holo....they must have willingly combined." I say and Ink nods. "Must have because Eldest became much more mature afterwards." Ink says.

I think for a few minutes. "What if....The Holo King, besides the PaperJam, was the only True holo out there?" I ask, making Ink think a moment. "Are you suggesting what I think ya are?" Ink asks and I nod. Nightshade looks at us confused. "What are you guys talking about?" She asks as I pull out some chips from my bag. "The Holoverse is the combined Multiverses of EldestTale, DarkTale, and CraftsTale. The Holo King is what would be considered an OutCode, but in the most extreme sense of the term. Not only did he not have an AU, but he didn't have a Multiverse......so he made one." 

OG Multiverse.....UnderSwap.....Blue's POV

It's been a couple weeks since I attacked Chara. I really wanted to apologise....To make up for scaring her, but Dust said that it was for the best for me to stay away from her for now. Not that I didn't understand. It wasn't as if I could really move around these days anyways. Skeleton pregnancies were a bit faster than human ones. This is mainly due to the fact that Skeleton bodies are mostly magic. Chara was only about five months along and she was pregnant before I was, but I'm really close. The twins make it difficult to get any rest. They would get rowdy in my abdomen, like they were fighting, whenever I tried to sleep. 'Should have known Dust's kids would be little trouble makers' I muse with a small smile.

We still didn't have a name for the twins, but we had some ideas. I flinch as the twins get active again, kicking at my ecto organs. Dust soon comes in. His arm had healed since then as well. He smiles softly as he brings a tray of food over. "Twins causing trouble again, Love?" He asks and sets the tray aside. "They're yours, what do you think?" I snap. I sigh. "Sorry...." I say. Dust helps me sit up. "Don't be, Blue. It can't be easy on you carrying them." He says. "If you want more, you get to carry them" I say as he puts the tray on my lap. He chuckles and kisses my skull. "Sure thing, Love" He says and sits beside me in the bed. I smile a little and eat. As always, Chara's cooking is amazing. "I miss papy and Chara" I say.

Dust smiles a bit. "I know, Blue. Undyne says that most likely, once the twins are born, you won't be so aggressive against Chara. Mother's instincts and all. That and the extra hormones from carrying will go down. You'll be able to think more clearly." Dust says and I nod. "Do they know what Chara's having yet?" I ask and Dust nods. "She's having a little Boy Babybones." He says and I smile. "So, a skeleton?" I ask and Dust nods. "Chara's on bedrest too. He's actually a bit late since he's a skeleton. Papyrus has been doing the cooking lately." Dust says and I nod. "I hope the baby is ok" I say and Dust nods. "If he's anything like his dad, He's taking his time getting ready to leave" Dust jokes making me chuckle.

"Probably. We still haven't settled on names for the twins, Dust" I say and he sighs. "I know, but it's so hard to just pick two!" He says making me chuckle again. He smiles and removes the tray when I'm done. I whimper a little in pain as a sharp pain hits my abdomen. "Blue? What's wrong?" Dust asks. The pain ends quickly enough and I'm panting. "I...I..think I just had a contraction, Dust...." I say. "You think?" He asks being serious and I nod. "It ended pretty quickly." I say and he gently moves my shirt to check on the twins. They've moved since we checked on them last night. Their little heads were in the downward position. "Yeah, it must have been, Blue. They're in position to be born. I'll call Undyne and Asgore." Dust says and I nod. 

Dust calls Asgore first since he helped Toriel through her labor with Asriel. "Yeah, he just had one. The twins have moved into place" Dust says on the phone and I whimper as another contraction comes. "Yeah, he just had another one." Dust says. I whimper and start to pant again. "Can you call Undyne? Blue needs me" Dust says and soon hangs up. He gently helps me lose my loose pants and underwear. "Asgore is on his way and he's calling Undyne. Just take deep breaths, Blue. You can do it" Dust says trying to encourage me. Undyne soon rushes in. "You guys have amazing timing, Chara's in labor too" Undyne says. Dust looks at her worried. "Asgore already trained me for this. He's busy helping Chara" Undyne explains and we nod.

Undyne checks on my progress. "You're not dilated enough yet, Blue. It's going to be a long day." She says and I nod. She comes over to my side. "Just try to rest as much as you can, Blue. It could be a couple hours before you're dilated enough. You'll need your strength" She says and I nod and try to get comfortable. Dust frowns. "Is there nothing you can do for the pain?" He asks worried. Undyne shakes her head. "Unfortunately, no. I could but it could hurt the twins. If Blue was human, like Chara, it would be easier just to numb the muscles so the pain isn't felt. However, Blue is a skeleton and the muscles are just pure magic connected to the twins. To numb it could potentially kill them" She says and we nod. "I....I can do it, Dust"

The Crossroads.......Monastery of the Guardians....Error's POV

I sigh rubbing my head. We've been trying to find the entrance to the Holoverse for about two weeks now and nothing! It's like it doesn't exist. "Error, calm down, I'm sure we'll find it" Ink says and I nod with a sigh. "I know...it's just....difficult to focus these days. All of the creators know something is going down, but...they won't tell me....something about me needing to not be so stressed.....what the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not stressed, I'm chill" I say kicking the chair in our room over. Ink frowns. "Error...." He says and gently holds me. I sigh and put my face in his scarf. "I'm worried about Nightshade.....no one's seen her and Forge says that she isn't in the other multiverses. The guardians have checked." I say.

Ink frowns. "You think she's in the Holoverse" He says and I nod. "It's the only place we haven't checked because we can't get fucking into it." I growl. I suddenly feel a bit sick and my head hurts. I groan and Ink looks down to me. "Error....You haven't been looking too good lately. Are you ok?" He asks and helps me sit down. "I've been feeling sick lately.....since we....you know...." I say and he nods. "Want me to go get Lifeline? Maybe she can help" Ink suggests. Lifeline was a female PaperJam from NurseryVerse and handled the medical needs for the Guardians. I nod a little and lay down on my side. I was wearing my t-shirt and shorts since we weren't going out into the Crossroads today. Ink nods and leaves.

My head is pounding and I felt sick to my stomach when Ink comes back with Lifeline. I groan in pain and Lifeline starts to check me over. "How long have you felt sick, Error?" She asks calmly. I try to think. "A-a little after Ink and I bonded last week." I say and she nods. "Has your ecto body been out since then too?" She asks, surprising Ink. I nod and she smiles. "You'll be fine, Error, but I suggest you go back to UnderSwap in the Mirrorverse. The Crossroads is not a safe place for anyone pregnant like you" She says and I tremble feeling like I was going to puke. She barely gets a trash can to me in time before I get sick, losing my breakfast.

"We're going to be parents again?" Ink asks, in shock and she nods. "Error is so sick because the Darkness of the Crossroads is having a negative effect on him. He needs to leave before it gets worse. Nightshade's mother was already almost to having her when he came to the Crossroads, but Error's just started carrying." Lifeline says and we nod. "I-i want to go home....to my anti-void...." I say and Lifeline sighs. "Error, you need a check up outside of the Crossroads. Who knows how the baby is doing right now? Your ecto body is too cloudy to see anything...." She says. "Meaning what?" Ink asks worried. "Meaning that Error is very sick. Normally, You should be able to see through the ecto body and see the baby, but right now we can't. " She says.

"Meaning?" Ink asks getting both annoyed and extremely worried. "Meaning that Error has some kind of illness that's making his magic unstable. Without proper care, the ecto body can vanish prematurely and kill the baby" Lifeline says. Ink looks at me worried. ".....I...I trust Life Sans......" I say and Ink nods. "Ok, Love" Ink says as Mirror comes in. "You called, Lifeline?" He asks. Lifeline nods. "I'm authorizing and emergency portal to your ReaperTale. Error needs urgent medical care." Lifeline says and Mirror nods. Ink helps me back to my feet as Mirror opens a portal. Life pokes his head through curious. "Whoa....this place seriously needs some color" He says.

"You must be Life Sans." Lifeline says and he nods. He frowns seeing me. "Stars, Error!" He says and helps Ink support me. "Error needs urgent care. He has some kind of sickness and it's threatening him and his child" Lifeline says and Life nods. "I'll do what I can for him" Life says as I stop Ink. "Find our daughter....Life can watch over me, Ink." I say and he nods sadly. "Please get better, Error....." He says as I vanish through the portal with Life and it closes behind us. Lifeline puts her hand on Ink's shoulder. "He'll be fine, Ink. We must have faith"


	19. Good News....And Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mirrorverse Horror gives birth to his and Nightmare's son, but the kid is too quiet.....it's the quiet ones that you gotta watch out for.
> 
> Mirrorverse Reaper Sans aka Life Sans is having trouble healing Error. He asks Mera, Goddess of magic for help
> 
> Dust starts to freak out while waiting to see Blue. Stretch extends an olive branch in an attempt to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Mirrorverse, ReaperTale gods are mixed around.  
> Life-Sans  
> Rebirth-Papyrus  
> Wisdom-Alphys  
> Knowledge-Gerson  
> War and justice-Asgore  
> Queen of the gods and goddess of the Skies- Undyne  
> Death-Toriel  
> Creation and observation- Gaster  
> Magic- My OC, Mera, daughter of asgore and Toriel (more on her in my story 'The Road Unseen')

Mirrorverse....DreamTale.....Horror's POV

I whimper in pain. "You're doing great, Horror. He's almost here." Charlotte says as Nightmare holds my hand. "You're doing amazing, Love. You're almost done." Nightmare says and I smile weakly. "Ok, Horror, deep breath and one more big push" Charlotte says and I take a deep breath and push. "Ok, Horror, you can rest. You're done." Charlotte says and my ecto body vanishes automatically. "That's normal, dear. Don't worry" She says. I frown a bit worried when I don't hear any cries. After she cleans up the baby, she brings him over. "He's such a quiet baby...." She says as she hands me the baby.

He looks up at me with a single purple eyelight. His skull followed Nightmare's. "He's beautiful, Horror" Nightmare says. The baby's single eyelight switched eye sockets, making us jump a moment. The little one must have liked our reaction because he started to laugh at us. "Well....he certainly has your sense of humor, Love" Nightmare says and kisses my skull. Charlotte chuckles. "I've seen this before. It's called magical cyclopia. His skull has two eye sockets, like it should, but the part of the sockets where the eyelights reside is a single socket. So, his eyelight will move like normal. It's just a little unsettling to those that don't already know." She says and we nod. 

"How about the name....Thriller?" I ask looking up at Nightmare. He smiles and kisses my skull again. "It's perfect, Horror" Nightmare says and I gently hand Thriller to him. It's so cute seeing Nightmare freeze. "Like this, Dear." Charlotte says and gently moves Nightmares arms to where Thriller is comfortable in his arms. "H-he's so small......I-I don't want to break him" Nightmare says making us chuckle a little. "You're doing fine, Nightmare." Charlotte says as Ink comes in. "Oh......" He says and we look at him. I smile, exhausted. "What is it, Ink?" Nightmare asks. "I finished restoring DreamTale, well as best as I could. It won't be the same, but it'll recover now" He says.

I smile as Nightmare goes over to Ink. "Ink, this is Thriller, my son" He says. Ink jumps, making Thriller erupt in giggles. "Yeah, he got us too." Nightmare says and Ink rubs his head with a goofy smile. "Yeah....it's been a while since I've seen a skeleton with Magical Cyclopia." He says, making me curious. "So....he'll be fine?" I ask. Ink looks at me and nods. "He's perfectly healthy. Just has a startling feature. He'll probably be a prankster if that laughter is anything to go by" Ink says and I nod with a yawn. Nightmare comes back over and gives Thriller back to me. "I'll be back, Horror. I'm going to check on a few things." Nightmare says and I nod.

Mirrorverse Nightmare's POV

I leave the room with Ink. "He's a cute kid....and I know kids." Ink says. I look at him a bit curious. "How many do you have?" I ask and Ink tries to think. "I lost count. The creators like pairing me with practically everyone in my Multiverse, but I love every single one of them." He says and I nod. He suddenly frowns, thinking. "Are you alright, Ink?" I ask. He sighs. "Error's really sick.....and he could lose the baby...." He says. I frown. "You two bonded?" I ask and he nods. "He's in ReaperTale right now with Life Sans.....I...." He trails off. I gently touch his shoulder. "I know....if it was Horror, I would feel the same." I say and he nods. We go out onto the balcony. I stare at DreamTale a bit amazed.

"I only had my DreamTale to go with as far as a reference. I hope that's ok" Ink says. The au was fill of color again. Grassy fields with stone fences, small villages separated by dense forests. "It's amazing, Ink. You're right, it's not as it was, it's better." I say and he smiles a little. "There's a place to plant the tree whenever you are ready." Ink says and I nod. "Things are looking up for the Mirrorverse" I say and Ink nods. "Cross is still in a coma....Undyne is trying her best, but we need your Dream to help him. My Dream can't handle it. He could barely manage to heal Error" Ink says and I look at him. "Ink....maybe Your Dream didn't heal everything that Inkposter did to him....maybe that's what's making him sick" I suggest.

Mirrorverse.....ReaperTale.....Sanctuary of Life....Life Sans's POV

I watch Error sleep and sigh. This was beyond anything I understood. "Brother, are you alright?" My brother, Papyrus, asks. "Error....his soul is...sick, Bro...I...I guess I'm just a bit frustrated. I've never had trouble healing people before. This is something I don't even know." I say and he comes over. "Perhaps Mera may know. She is the Goddess of Magic after all. If anyone would know, it's her or Gaster, god of Creation." He says and I nod. "I'll pay them a visit. Can you watch over him, Brother? I don't want to leave him alone." I say and Rebirth, as people often call him, nods. "Of course, Brother." He says and I teleport to the castle.

Reapertale Castle

I find myself in the throne room. "Heh...Sorry about that, your majesty, Overshot the teleport" I say bowing a little to Undyne. She sighs and rubs her forehead. "It is fine, Sans. What's been going on? You normally don't slack off like this" She asks. I sigh. "It's Error. He's badly ill and pregnant." I say surprising Undyne. "Is he going to be alright?" She asks and I shrug. "I'm trying my best, but it's beyond my knowledge. His soul itself is sick.....like it's got something that doesn't belong it's trying to expell. Whatever it is, Error's soul can't get rid of it on its own and it's making him sick. If nothing's done....we may lose both Error and his child" I say and she nods.

"So, you are looking for Mera and Gaster for help" She says and I nod. "Gaster should be at the gardens making his observations as usual. Mera...hmmm I think she's spending some time with Gerson in his lab." Undyne says and I nod. Bowing, I go to find Mera. Along the way, I bump into Alphys, Goddess of wisdom. "So sorry Alphys." I say and lightly bow my head in apology. "I-it's fine, Sans. Are you alright? You look a-awful" She says. I sigh. "Trouble healing someone....I've tried everything I can think of." I say. She nods and walks with me for a bit. "Who are you trying to heal? It may be their magic interfering with yours." She says. "It's Error....." I say as we go into Gerson's lab.

Alphys frowns. "You've never had trouble healing Error before" Alphys says and I nod. Mera and Gerson are discussing the applications of magic prosthetics for the humans when we come in. "That very well may be, but the soul itself could reject it. Any foreign magic could make the soul ill, Gerson." Mera says. "Not if you manage to align the magic to resonate with the inert magic within the soul itself." Gerson says. They look at us. "Wait...back up a moment, Mera. What about foreign magic?" I ask. She rubs her head being mindful of her small horns. Mera looked a lot like her mother, Toriel, but had long blonde hair like her father, Asgore. "Foreign magic can cause the soul to become unstable, resulting in illness or even death." She says.

I rub my chin. "Could this foreign magic be an anomaly that is leeching off the soul?" I ask and she thinks a moment. "It's possible. The soul would have to be a powerful one for such a being to remain undetected for long." She says. Gerson frowns. "What's going on?" He asks. "It's Error....he....he's expecting, but he's fell badly ill. I've tried what I could." I say and Mera nods. "If your questions are about Error, we must return to him as quickly as possible. As strong as his soul is....this anomaly has likely been attached for months now." She says and I teleport Mera and myself to my sanctuary. I frown. "Something's wrong......The air feels different." I say and Mera nods.

I start to make my way through the sanctuary. "Something foul has come into my sanctuary......" I say, bringing out my staff. "My mother would never..." Mera says. "It's not Toriel...." I say as we rush into my healing chambers. Suddenly, Rebirth is slammed into us. "Owie......brother! It...It's Ink!" Rebirth says. "Bro...Ink is gone, Error killed him." I say. Then, a familiar laugh echoes through the sanctuary. "You really think I would let him kill me so easily? How naïve." Ink says, standing next to error. "Error....you may have destroyed most of my body that day, but you missed the piece that was attached to your soul....and now, I have no further use for you.....time to finish this for good" Ink says summoning his Brush. "Goodbye....Error"

OG Multiverse.....UnderSwap.....Dust's POV

Near the beginning of the delivery, Asgore came in and shoved me out. Blue had started having trouble with the first child, and Undyne had called Asgore for help. Fortunately, Chara's delivery had been a quick one and Archer was a healthy, boy skeleton with forest green eyelights. I'm sitting on the couch, worried sick about Blue. Stretch sits beside me. "He'll be ok, Dust. Him and the kids both. Asgore knows what he's doing." Stretch says. "I...I know...but...I can't help but think what if......I...." I find myself taking a page from Horror and claw at the edges of my eye sockets in panic. Stretch quickly grabs my wrists before I can do much damage to myself. 

"Pull yourself together, Dust. Blue WILL be fine. The twins WILL be fine." He says. I let out a whimper and he lets me go. I hug my knees as Papyrus watches me closely. "Thanks....." I say and he nods. "You're not so bad.......Blue could have chosen much worse." He says. I look at him and he sighs. "Let's take a walk....I could use a smoke" He says getting up. "But...." I say. "Chara and Archer are both out for the count right now. Undyne and Asgore both have our cell numbers." He says and I nod. "Let's take a shortcut" He says and teleports us to his usual smoke spot in Waterfall. I sit on the bench as he lights him a smoke. "Look.....I know I hated you when you started dating my bro......He was...well, Blue.....innocent, naïve, sweet Blue......" He says taking a drag from the smoke.

I nod. "But you've done nothing but try to keep him safe.......and I've been an ass." He says looking out at the water. "You were only looking out for him....I would have done the same for my brother....." I say and he looks at me. "Is that why you killed him? To protect him?" Stretch asks and I flinch. I look down at my hands. "Yes......The kid.....they kept making his deaths worse and worse.....fucking with me....knowing I wouldn't get there in time to stop them.......I lost track of how many different ways they did it......by killing him myself......at least it was quick....at least it was....humane....why do they use that word to describe that way of killing? It's a bad joke" I say, my hands trembling.

A pack of smokes comes into my vision. I look up at Papyrus. "Look, just take one...it'll help. We don't have lungs, remember? I only come here to keep Chara from breathing it." He says and I take one. He lights it for me before sitting beside me. "Why...." I ask. "It was this or start drinking the heavy shit at muffet's" He says leaning back. I nod and take a drag from the smoke. It didn't really have a taste, or really have any effect being human smokes, but the action itself was soothing. "despite our differences....we're the same....we've seen the same shit.....basically killed the same kid over....and over.....We've both seen the surface and had it taken away just as quickly........" He says.

I look at him. "I guess...what I'm trying to say is....you gained LV, but you did it for Love....and....I'm ok with that....if that makes sense" He says taking another drag. I nod. "It kind of does...." I say and take a drag of mine. "Don't tell Blue I started smoking...." I say. He chuckles. "Don't tell Chara that I'm still smoking" He says and I look at him a moment. We start to laugh before my phone starts to ring. I put out my smoke and answer it. "Hello?" I say trying not to fear the worst. "Dust? It's Undyne.....Blue and the twins are fine. Asgore is getting them cleaned up now." Undyne says as I can hear crying in the background. "Dust?" Undyne says. Papyrus takes the phone from me.

"Hey, it's Papyrus.....yeah, I think he's in shock......yeah, big time....we're in waterfall.....yeah, chara and archer were asleep......I'll get him there as soon as I can....bye" Papyrus says before hanging up my phone. Papyrus slaps me gently, snapping me out of it. "Huh?" I say stupidly. He chuckles. "Blue and the twins are fine. Go see them already" He says giving me back my phone. I nod and teleport back to the shed, making Undyne jump. "A little warning would be nice!" she says and I chuckle. Asgore soon comes out of the bedroom looking exhausted. He smiles seeing me. "You can go see them, Dust" He says and I nod before heading into the room.

Blue's POV

I look at Dust when he comes in. He looks just as bad as I felt. "Hey...." He says and i smile, exhausted. "Hey....they won't bite, love" I say and he comes over to sit beside me. "The one with my eyelights is Cloak" I say and the twin with Bright baby blue eyelights yawns before going back to sucking on his thumb. "The one with purple, white, and black eyelights is Dagger" I say as Dagger glares at Dust a little before going back to sleep. Dust chuckles. "Cloak and Dagger huh? Great names, Blue" Dust says and I smile. "I'm glad you like them...." I say and yawn. "I love them...and I love you, Blue"


	20. The End Is Near......

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Mirrorverse, an unexpected ally helps Mirrorverse Error, Life Sans, and Mera stop Holo Ink for good.
> 
> In the OG Multiverse, Horror worries about having to birth his and Killer's child alone.
> 
> OG Killer's rage is at it's limit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frink is my name for Fresh!Ink

Mirrorverse.......ReaperTale.....Sanctuary of Life......Life Sans's POV

I watch in horror as Ink brings the bladed end of his brush down towards Error. Everything seems to go in slow motion for a moment as slimy, sticky looking strings wrap around the brush before yanking it away just in time to save Error. Ink snarls in rage. "About time I found where you ran off to, Ink......Did you really think that I wouldn't find you?" A familar voice says as Ink's brush is caught by a slimy hand. Looking to the newcomer, I feel the same feeling of repulsion, but it's not as bad as the feeling coming off Ink. The newcomer looked like Error, but made out of what appeared to be slime. Trough the slime, I could make out similar tear trails to my Error, along with a pair of Gold eyelights.

Ink growls and holds out his hand. His brush starts to jerk in Slime Error's hand. He frowns and throws it into an open portal before closing it. "That will not keep it from me long....as you very well know, Error." Ink says before taking off his scarf. The scarf starts to become coated by the same slime as the new Error as Ink uses it to wrap it around the neck of the new Error before slamming him into a wall with a disgusting, wet, smack. Ink comes up to me and kneels down to grab my chin. "It's been a long time since I made an entire AU fall.....how about I change that? Hmmmm? Yes, ReaperTale will be an excellent example to those that think I am gone" He says and stands up again.

Mirrorverse Error's POV

I wake up weakly to Ink kneeling in front of Life....no, it wasn't my Ink...either of them....It was the Holo Ink. Something slithers across the ground to me....a pool of slime. ".....You still live...that is good.....not so much for your child, sadly...." A voice similar to my own says quietly as the pool of slime takes form. It looked like me, but it was made of slime. "We don't have much time....Ink will make this AU fall before he twists it. That cannot happen.....I need your help" He says. "T-too W-weak....He's t-too s-strong" I say. This Error frowns a bit and seems to decide something. "Merge with me.....you will keep control, but you will have more power than before." He says. 

"W-what h-happen to y-you?" I ask and he smiles a little. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine" He says and I nod. The slime Error returns to being a pool before slithering up onto the bed. "This...may feel uncomfortable, but please...don't struggle. I do not wish to harm your soul." He says as he covers my body, the slime sinking into every available openning. Like he had said, it was very uncomfortable....almost bordering on painful. However, I try my best not to struggle against him as I feel the cold slime hit my soul. 'Error? What's going on....You feel strange' My Ink says, His voice grounding me to the now. 'H-holo....H-holo Ink....survived....my attack.....R-reaperTale.....in danger' I reply as the slime coats my soul.

I scream out, making the others, including the holo Ink look at me. "Very clever, Error, but in vain....I will kill you both...here and now" The Holo Ink says and comes towards us, his scarf hardening into a sharp blade. Before he can reach us, he slams face first into a barrier. Mera is standing in the doorway, her hands glowing as she holds the Holo Ink within a sphere of magic. "Good Job, Mera!" Life says and rushes over to me. "I-I don't know how long I can hold him! I need Gaster!" She says and Rebirth teleports to get him. "Error...." Life says and gasps. The slime around my soul pulses and begins to resonate with my own magic as it takes on the color and density of my soul, strengthening and merging with it. Through this, I can see the memories from the other Error.

Memory Start......

"I'm tired of running, Error.....I just...I want a home....somewhere to belong" Ink's voice says. I look at him with a sad smile. "I know, Ink, but we cannot just take what isn't ours. We will find our matches....we'll be whole someday." I say. he frowns. "Someday, it's always someday with you and PaperJam. I'm starting to think that Asgore is right. If we want something, we must take it for ourselves" Ink says standing up. I frown. Ink wasn't like the rest of us. He was created to be like the real Inks, which had no soul themselves....that made him dangerous. "Ink, we can't....It's not our way" I plead with him. He glares at me. "The old ways died with Toriel. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of being shunned, Error." He says and I frown again.

"So...that's it then....you've made up your mind...you're going to follow Asgore" I say and Ink laughs. "Me? Follow that old wreck? No, I don't think so. I'm going to find my own multiverse....even if I must make it fall first" He says. I frown and get up. "Then, you do it without me or PaperJam......I want no part of this....this madness, Ink." I say and prepare to leave. "You turn your back on me, Error.....and I will make you suffer for it.....no matter what multiverse your from.....no matter what name they give you......Every Error will pay for your betrayal" Ink says. "You are the one who has turned their back on me.......you can go to hell" I say and leave.

Memory End....

"I can't hold him much longer!" Mera cries out. "Just a little longer! Error, Error! Can you hear me?" Life practically screams at me. "I-I'm awake, i'm awake." I say and sit up feeling much better. Life tries to make me lay back down. "I'm fine, Life....Just...just let me do this" I say and he nods. "Mera, can you force him smaller? I have a plan" I say as I pull the Holo Ink's Brush from whatever AU the Holo Error sent it to. The Holo Ink attempts to call it to him, but it remains still within my hand. "This...this is impossible! You shouldn't be able to control my Brush!" He yells as Mera makes the sphere smaller and smaller, Forcing the Holo Ink to revert to a pool of Inky Slime.

"That's where you underestimated me, Ink....I hold both Creation and destruction now......" I say. "But your Ink is dead! I threw him into the Crossroads myself and Asgore killed him!" The Holo Ink yells as I use his own brush to create a container that resembles a soul container. "Ok, Mera, put his ass into this, make sure not a drop escapes or we will never be rid of him" I say and she nods. With a ungodly shriek, Holo Ink is forced into the container and it's sealed shut. Mera trembles and sinks to her knees as Rebirth returns with Gaster. "Mera, my love, are you alright?" Gaster asks rushing to her. She nods. "The magic.....that resides in that creature is so dark....." She says, trembling.

"Gaster....We need someplace this.....creature will never be found again." I say and he nods. "There's only one place....." He says and looks at Mera. She shakily gets up. "Are you sure, Mera?" He asks and she nods. Mera's hands glow once more as a portal opens. We can feel the intense heat from the other side. "W-what is that place?" Life asks. "It's a temple in the middle of a star" I say and Gaster picks up the container. "The heat alone will dry him out, making it impossible for him to move." I say as mera cloaks Gaster against the heat as he places the container on the alter. Gaster quickly returns and Mera closes the portal and disapates the shield around her lover.

"I....I need to rest now.....that was difficult...." Mera says and we nod. Mera soon leaves with Gaster. Life comes over with a look of concern. "ERROR!!!!" We hear and I rub my forehead. "I forgot I had projected to MY Ink" I say as he rushes in. He stops dead when he sees me. "Error?" He asks, a bit unsure. I look in a mirror nearby and sigh. I almost looked as I did before, but with a few changes. I was taller, my body seemed to be more built than before, and my eyelights were now gold set in silver sockets. "Yeah....it's me, Kiki...." I say and touch the mirror. I jump, shocked when the surface ripples like water. When the surface settles, I can see something. 

Ink comes over to look. At first, the image is dark. Then, a couple of bright shapes start to form. One is Nightshade, the other is someone that reminds me of both ink and Fresh. "OOOh Frink!" Ink says, making the fresh/ink combo jump, startled. "Wait, you can hear us?" I ask. "Daddy?" Nightshade asks a little worried. A third being moves, lowering his hood. "Killer? What are doing there?" Ink says. This killer rubs his forehead. "Error must have merged with the Holo Error, Error.....Holos have the ability to open windows through which they can communicate" Killer says coming over to us. "These windows can only be opened on reflective surfaces." Killer says and I nod.

OG Multiverse....Nightmare's Castle....Horror's POV

I sigh and rub my abdomen. I missed Killer.....I hoped he was doing ok. I hoped I would be ok. I was all alone in the castle now. Dust was living in UnderSwap. Killer was who knew where. Nightmare was gone as well. At first, the peace and quiet was nice, but after almost five months of it, I was starting to lose it. CRASH! I jump startled. "W-what the hell?" I say and go to check it out. It was hard to move now. I soon reach the kitchens to find several pots all over the floor. "Great, just something I can't clean up" I say. I scratch at the hole in my skull. "But what made them fall?" I think out loud. "H-horror?" A familiar voice says weakly. "Cross?" I ask and look around. 

I soon find him leaning against the wall. His pants were bloody and his abdomen bigger than mine. "Oh my, Cross!" I say and try to think about how exactly I was going to help him to a bed. "Cross, I know it hurts, but I need you to help me here." I say and we manage to get to the bed in the next room over. "A-are we a-alone?" Cross asks and I nod. "Unfortunately" I say and remove his pants. Cross shivers as the cold air hits his lower regions. "Sorry....it's hard to keep the place warm when it's just me." I say and he nods. "So, who got you?" He asks and I blush. "Umm Killer.....he....he's gone right now...where to, I don't know......" I say and he nods.

"I don't think I need to ask. It was Dream, wasn't it?" I ask and he nods. "Told you we had to hurry!" A voice says, making us both jump startled. "Sorry..." Core Frisk says. "I was trying to hurry. Do you have any idea how much this bag you packed weighs?" A voice says as a Sans that looks like Blue from UnderSwap says. However, he looked much more mature, and had a scar over his right eye. "And you say you're a royal guard, Viper?" Frisk says. He grumbles. I cry out in pain as a sharp pain hits my abdomen. "Shit, both of them? We should have brought Gaster with us" Viper says, dropping the bag. He helps me to the other bed in the room. My head is swimming from the pain, and the migraine that forms.

"Frisk, what the hell? Where are you going?" Viper yells. "Getting help! Horror's in trouble, worse than Cross." She says and vanishes through a portal. 'So....this is it......Killer....where are you?' I think as I cry out in pain again. 'Horror? What's wrong?' Killer's voice rings in my head. 'Killer......it...it hurts......' I reply and I can feel his worry in my soul. Of course....how stupid of me....we did bond....I was never alone. 'Horror, what happened?' Killer asks, sounding more frantic. 'You...you left me with something......stars....it hurts so much....' I say. Frisk soon returns with what looks like a Gaster, but my eyes start to blurr. 'Horror? HORROR!' Killer cries through the bond.

'I-I love you so much.....if...if there's a choice...I...I hope that you don't hate me for what I have to choose......' I say as the Gaster settles at my crotch as viper helps Cross. 'Horror, what are you talking about? I'd never hate you.....' He says sounding even more worried. "The baby is stuck....I could force the ecto body to vanish, but it could kill Horror" Gaster says. "A-and if you don't?" I ask and he looks at me sadly. "Then, we lose the child." He says. 'I-I love you so much.....more than anything....except our child' I say to Killer and look at Gaster. "D-do it......" I say and he frowns but do as I ask. I feel a great pain in my soul. 'HORROR!' Killer screams over the bond, but it's already been done.

Cross's POV

I watch from my bed. My own delivery had been quick and easy, my daughter sleeping peacefully in my arms. Gaster forces Horror's Ecto body to vanish and catches the child gently. He gently hands the infant to Frisk, and gets to work trying to save horror's life. "Frisk, we have to move him to the Omega Timeline! The tank there can regenerate him" Gaster says. Viper frowns. "What about the child?" Viper asks. "I'll watch them..." I say and they look at me. "We'll be bringing you as well, Cross. you're too weak right now to tend for yourself, but I don't think Horror or Killer would mind you watching over their son. ".......Axel...." Horror's weak voice says and we nod.

Holoverse.....Killer's POV

It had been a couple hours since we spoke with Error and my Ink. Turns out Nightshade's plan would work. Then, I feel an overwhelming feeling of fear and pain. 'So....this is it......Killer....where are you?' I hear Horror in my very soul. The bond must be allowing me to hear and feel him. 'Horror? What's wrong?' I reply, concerned. Nightshade looks at me worried. Frink stops her and shakes his head. 'Killer......it...it hurts......' Horror replies which makes me worry even more. 'Horror, what happened?' I ask starting to panic. My bondmate was in pain and afraid....and I was a Multiverse away. 'You...you left me with something......stars....it hurts so much....' Horror says and I suddenly understand.

He goes quiet for a long time, making me worry even more. 'Horror? HORROR!' I cry out over the bond as I start to cry. There's no answer for a few minutes and Frink sits beside me and gently holds me close, rubbing my back. 'I-I love you so much.....if...if there's a choice...I...I hope that you don't hate me for what I have to choose......' Horror says and my eyes widen in shock. 'Horror, what are you talking about? I'd never hate you.....' I reply, barely able to keep myself from flinging myself through a portal to him. I had something I HAD to finish here and not doing could kill us all. 'I-I love you so much.....more than anything....except our child' Horror replies, his voice sounding weak in my soul. I try to respond, but I feel a sudden and intense pain in my soul.

"Killer!" Nightshade says with worry and rushes over. "Something must be happening to his bondmate. His soul is spinning out of control." Frink says and Nightshade sits on my other side. "Let's see what I can do" She says gently bringing out my soul. Using her magic, Nightshade manages to slow the pulsing pain down to an ache. 'Axel.....' I hear Horror say. He feels so weak, but still alive....barely. "Killer....are you alright?" Nightshade asks, and my resolve hardens. "Fine" I say and put my hood back up. I get up and start to walk off. Nightshade and Frink catch up quick enough. "Killer, wait up, what happened?" Frink asks. ".....My bondmate was pregnant...I...I didn't know when I left.....He's in bad shape...." I say and they nod.

"We could come back" Nightshade suggests. "Hell no....This is our only chance....He's still weak." I say and they nod. We pass into what appears to be hotland, but instead of fire, it was bubbling pits of hot tar and smoke. We soon come to the lab and I type in the code, unlocking the door. Every step closer made me more and more pissed. This bastard had cost me enough of my time. Then, suddenly, a portal opens up and Ink walks through with the Error from earlier. "Mom, Dad!" Nightshade yells and hugs them tight. I push past Ink and keep going.


	21. Peaceful Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang manage to get to where The Holo King is hiding, but the victory doesn't always go to those with the most powerful magic.
> 
> This chapter focuses mostly on the after.....the new beginnings for all involved.

Mirrorverse Error's POV

I frown and follow Killer. "What's wrong with him?" Ink asks Frink. Frink sighs and rubs his head. "His mate is in pretty bad shape...." He says and Ink looks surprised. "I didn't know he even had one...just shows how out of touch with my Multiverse I've been...." Ink says and I touch his shoulder. "We'll get you home Ink...Your Nightmare and Dream already went back through the Crossroads." I say and he nods. "But will you be alright? I mean, we're bondmates now....Wouldn't that cause some problems?" Ink asks. "Not really....you just need a warp totem from your respective PaperJams." Killer says. We look at him and he sighs. "I..I'm sorry Ink...I shouldn't have shoved you like that" He says as we keep moving.

"You were upset....It's understandable." Ink says squeezing my hand. We really didn't have time to grieve for the child Ink and I lost....The Nexus was in danger and nothing was going to change what was and is. Nightshade looks at us worried....she must have already known given her....unique magic. We all jump when we heard a loud Bang. I frown and go to investigate. I sigh. "It's ok, everyone....it's just a few Mettatons" I say and the others come to where I am. "Just a few Mettatons, he says." An older, worn looking Mettaton says crossing his arms. I chuckle. "Sorry, Elias. It's...been quite a journey." Killer says and he frowns. "Only my PaperJam calls me Elias." He says.

Killer sighs rubbing his chest absentmindedly. "Eldest and I are one now....Name's Killer" He says and Elias nods. "He said he would return someday....we've been standing guard over the entrance to the Judgement hall for over a million years." Elias says. Behind him are two other Mettatons. One looked like a robotic knight. "You can call me Valor....I hail from DarkTale." He says with a deep, but charming voice. The other looked like some kind of musician. "You can call me, Lyric. I hail from CraftsTale." He says and we nod. "How are you three not like the others?" I ask and they smile. "The materials that make up our respective bodies protects our souls from the Holos" Lyric says and we nod.

"Is Asgore inside his chambers?" I ask and they nod. "He is....but there's something different this time....it's like he's given up." Elias says and we look at each other. Nightshade jumps as if startled. "He has......he's waiting for us....to....oh dear....." She says, her single ear twitching. The Mettatons look at her confused. "Is the maiden alright?" Valor asks and we nod. "Nightshade can hear the voices of the creators." Ink explains and he nods. "Best get you some rest and something to eat before going to Asgore. He may have given up, but who knows if he may change his mind" Elias says and we nod. "This way, you may use our quarters" Lyric says and we nod.

Nightshade's POV

I linger in the area before the Judgement hall, looking out at the fallen capital. "Depressing, isn't it?" Valor says as he comes to stand beside me. I nod. "It was once a beautiful place, filled with music and laughter" He says and sits on the edge. I sit beside him, letting my feet dangle. "You have the look of one about to make a hard decision" He says and I nod. "This is where I must leave my parents behind to face asgore alone." I say. Valor frowns. "But why alone?" He asks. "If we all go in, he'll feel threatened and will attack....but if it's just me..." I trail off and Valor nods. "Just be careful, my lady....." Valor says and looks away. I blush a little. I know Valor is just looking out for me, but why does it feel like there's more to it?

I get up and brush myself off. "Well....wish me luck" I say. Valor gets up as well and gently takes my hands in his. "Best of luck, My gentle Lady. May fortune smile upon you" He says and kisses the back of my hand. I blush and go into the Judgement Hall. I jump as the heavy doors close behind me. I take a deep breath and head towards the other end of the hall. The windows of the hall had shattered long ago, glass was all over the floor, crunching under my feet. The pillars were badly cracked with dark, thick vines growing up them. The door at the other end of the hall was leaning against the wall, having fallen off long ago. Someone obviously moved it out of the way.

Error's POV

I go to look for Nighshade. She had a bad habit of wandering off, and I was worried about her. "She went on ahead" Valor says standing next to the door of the Judgement Hall. I frown. "Then I should...." He cuts me off. "Let her do what the creators demand of her. I frown at him. "She's not going alone" I say but he blocks my way. "She will be fine. Asgore won't harm her unless he feels threatened. Right now, alone, she is safer than with us all with her." Valor says and I glare at him. "What's going on, Error? Where's Nightshade?" Ink asks coming to where we are. "She went to face Asgore alone" I say and Ink nods. "They already told you....didn't they?" I ask. "Just that she's the key to stopping Asgore" Ink says and I sigh.

Nightshade's POV

I walk into the throne room to find what looks like Asgore, but made of slime....The Holo King. "So...here we are, Child.....at the end of the path.....are you here to avenge your Mother?" He says standing up. I hesitate. "At first.....I thought that was what I wanted......But I've learned so much in my journey. Now....I cannot harm you.....only forgive" I say and he frowns. "Forgiveness......is not for the likes of me." He says. I frown. "That doesn't mean that I won't give it anyways." I say and come closer. "You alone can united the Holos....only you can stop the violence....start a time of peace for the Nexus" I argue. He frowns. "Peace? For Holos? It will never be.....we will never have acceptance." He says.

I frown. "It is only impossible if you are unwilling to try, Asgore. We have the power to shape our own futures. You have the power to shape the Future of your subjects. Will you abandon them?" I ask. He frowns. "So...this is why you came alone....you have the wisdom to speak while others would just fight" He says coming to stand before me. We stand eye to eye. "I see the same fire in you that I saw in your mother.....You have the resolve to push for this?" He says and I nod, standing my ground. He turns his back to me. "And what would you have me do, ch-Nightshade?" He asks sitting down once again. "Return to the old ways, bring peace back to your subjects. With order...with structure, the Holos can live in peace with the rest of the Nexus" I say.

The Crossroads.....Monastery of the Guardians.....Forge's POV

I return to the surface with Emmanuel. Archer runs up and hugs Emmanuel. "Manny!" she squeals. "Archer, please, you're hurting me" He says and I chuckle. "Forge! You may want to come see this!" Craft says from the wall. I nod and join Craft on the wall. "What do you make of this?" Craft says looking out to the Crossroads. The hordes of Holo were parting, allowing a single Holo to pass through. "Guardians of the Nexus, I am Prince Asriel, of the Holoverse. I have been sent by my Father, The Holo King, Asgore to form a treaty of peace between us. As a gesture of good faith and good will, I hereby order every Holo here to return to the Holoverse" He says.

The result was almost instant....the Hordes of Holo like a wave of inky slime flowing away from the monastery. "I wish to speak with your leader or leaders, here on the open plain of the Crossroads...at the edge of light and dark." He then says. I look at Craft and he nods. We jump down from the wall on the Prince's side. "I am Forge of DarkTale....this is Craft of CraftsTale. We are the leaders here" I say and he nods. Asriel shifts a little. "My father has decreed that we will be returning to the old ways....the ways that have provided peace for all involved for millennia. However, there will be those that will not want to return to the old ways. These....Rogue Holos will soon be your only enemies." He says and we nod.

"What changed his mind?" I ask. Asriel smiles softly. "A forgiving young woman by the name of Nightshade. She talked some sense into my father." He says and we look at each other a bit surprised. "Anyways, things should go into a relative peace from now on." Asriel says and we nod. "I certainly hope so. We could use the chance to rest and recover." Craft says and I nod. "We all could. This has been a difficult time for all involved." Asriel says. We nod and he rubs his head. "There's one last thing.....It's about Eldest....He performed a Soul Transference with the Killer from the original Multiverse....he's not coming back." He says and we nod.

OG Multiverse.....Omega Timeline.....Castle infirmary....Killer's POV

"He's making a recovery, but we don't know how long until his soul is stable enough to leave the tank." Gaster says and I nod. After returning back to my Multiverse, I found out Horror had been brought here to heal. "Where is my son....." I ask. "Cross has been watching over Axel alongside his own child, Crosswire. They should be in the castle gardens right now" Gaster says and I turn to leave. "I can't help but wonder how you would have treated the child if Horror didn't get the help he needed." Gaster says. I stop for a moment. "What may have happened....does not matter....only what is and will be." I say and walk out of the infirmary. 'At least Horror will live....thanks to the boost Nightshade gave us...' I think to myself.

I walk into the gardens and watch Cross play with both babies with a small smile. He then looks to me. No doubt, Chara told him that I was here. "Hello, Killer" Cross says and I come over. "I...I just went to see Horror. Gaster says he will recover....eventually." I say and Cross nods. He gently hands me the bigger of the two children. "T-this is Axel?" I ask and he nods. Axel was twice the size of any babybones that I have seen. Likely his size comes from Horror's side since Horror was a big skeleton himself. Axel yawns and looks up at me with no eyelights. I frown. Cross catches my frown and chuckles. "He has eyelights....they're black as the sockets. So, you won't see them." Cross explains and I nod relieved.

OG UnderSwap....Blue's POV

I smile getting to spend time with Chara. Now that I had the memories sorted, we were able to interact again. We had a scare when Cloak teleported unexpectantly to OuterTale. Thankfully, Ink had come back and was there admiring the view. With his help, and a bracelet to prevent teleporting, Cloak had been returned safely. Dagger chews on everything he can get in his mouth. According to Undyne, Dagger was going to have a mouth full of sharp teeth and his jaw hurt due to it. I smile watching the twins and Archer sleep in the playpen on a pile of pillows. Chara hands me a glass of tea and sits beside me. "Well....it's been quite a ride" I say and Chara nods.

Dust and Papyrus soon return from training together. I manage not to laugh seeing them soaked to the bone. "What happened to you two?" Chara asks through giggles. "Genius here decided to fall in the lake at waterfall....had to dive in and get his tailbone because he didn't know how to swim" Dust says jerking a thumb towards Papy. "You pushed me" Papy says. "No, we were training and you dodged the wrong direction." Dust says. I shake my head. "go get changed, you're dripping all over the place" I say and they nod with a smile. "What are going to do with those two?" Chara asks and I shrug with a smile.

Mirrorverse.....DreamTale.....Nightmare's POV

I rub my forehead. "Horror?" I say and he looks at me with a smile. "Yeah, Love?" He says coming over. "We need to talk about Thriller" I say watching our youngster crawl everywhere. We've already had to bolt shut every cabinet within his reach. Thriller would hide in one and wait for us to come looking for him. Then, he would scare the shit out of us. He seemed to find it hilarious. Thriller still hadn't spoken yet....just giggles or whimpers. "Is he sick?" Horror asks and I shake my head. "Hurt?" Horror asks. Again, I shake my head. "Then, what is it?" Horror asks managing to grab Thriller up before he got into something else we'll have to secure. 

"He needs proper clothes, Horror. He can't wear your sweaters forever" I say and Horror nods. I smile softly. "Anyways, you and Dream replanting the tree today?" Horror asks and I nod. My brother had made a recovery, but he'd never be as he was. Instead of high strung and energetic, Dream was more laid back now. He seemed to act like the Dream from the original Multiverse, which actually was an improvement. Horror smiles. "While you two do that, I'll get Thriller to the village tailor." Horror says and I nod, getting up. I kiss Horror and leave with the container that held the apples. I find Dream waiting for me at the sight Ink had set up for the new tree.

"Brother....." I say and he looks at me with a sad smile. "Hey...." He says. I frown. "Are you alright, Brother?" I ask and he nods. "Just a bit tired still." He says and I nod. "Are you sure you are up for this? It will take a lot of magic from both of us" I say and he nods. Each of us take our respective apple from the container before putting them in the ground side by side. At first, nothing happens until the golden apple rolls into the other apple. The magic within the fruits started to meld together as a sapling started to grow from them both. Backing up, we watch the sapling grow into the mighty tree that stood once before. The villagers cheer and I smile a little.

Mirrorverse....UnderSwap Castle.....Blue's POV

I was training with Alphys when I suddenly became light-headed. Not knowing something was wrong, Alphys smacked me across the training area with the blunt practice sword. "Oh My Stars, Sans!" She yells rushing over to me. She looks to one of the other Guards. "Go get Dust! Sans is bad!" Alphys yells at them before they run off. Alphys kneels down and tries to get me to stay awake. "Hey, stay awake, Bonehead!" She says. Dust and Undyne both rush out to us. "What happened?" Dust says sternly. He's been getting bolder since I started treating him as an equal partner. "I honestly don't know! One moment he's fine. Then, he's thrown across the training area like a fucking rag doll! Alphys says and they nod. Dust shines a light in my eyelights. "He's still awake, barely. We need to get him to the infirmary" He says as everything goes black. "Shit!" Alphys yells.

Dust's POV

I frown. "Alphys, gently take him to the infirmary. I'll be there soon." I say and she nods. I watch her leave with Blue. I had been afraid of this. Sans's soul was preparing to fall. Without a boost of compatible magic from another.....Blue would soon fall and then die. Alphys wasn't at fault here. Undyne looks at me. "What are we waiting for?" She growls and I sigh. "He's....He's falling, Undyne....All we can do is make him comfortable" I say and head to the infirmary. She frowns and catches up to me. "Is this a joke? Because I'm not laughing, Dust" Undyne says with a frown. I shake my head. "I wish I was, but Blue wasn't a young skeleton...not even when his first lover was killed" I say and she nods sadly.

"A boost in magical energy could bring him out of it, but he has to approve such a treatment. To try without it would not only kill him faster, but also kill the one attempting it" I say as we enter the infirmary. "D-dust...." We hear blue say and I rush over. Blue looks at me sadly as I take his hand. "I'm here, Blue." I say and he nods. "I...I'm about to fall....aren't I?" He says sadly and sounding so tired. I nod sadly. "I...I have an option...but...It's very personal...." I say and Blue looks a bit hopeful. I sigh. "A boost of magical energy.....such as the energy gained through a soul bond could stave the fall off for as long as your mate lives. However, when they die....you will follow. Their death will cause too great a strain on yours" I say and he nods.

Blue looks at Alphys and Undyne. "Can we h-have some time a-alone?" He asks and they nod before leaving. "I-I will never stop l-loving Seraph, b-but you come as a close s-second, D-dust.....I-if y-you'll have me...." He says and I nod smiling softly. "There's no one I hold higher than you, Blue. Has always been that way." I say and he smiles softly. I gently bring out our souls. "Are you certain? You know it cannot be undone" I say. He nods. "I-I have never b-been more certain" He says and I allow our souls to make contact with each other. I felt it, that darkness of death being chased away from Blue's soul as my own strengthens it through the bond. Our souls soon return to where they belong. "Rest love....you'll be fine now....I've got you, Babe"

Time Skip.....five years later......Mirrorverse Error's Anti-void.....Error's POV

I wake up with a yawn. Ink was still asleep beside me. I smile and take note that I had slept in my ecto body. 'Going to be sore all day' I think and try to make it vanish, but it refuses. I sigh and get up. Stretching, I take notice of myself in the mirror. Yeah, a mirror in my Anti-void. In the five years since we bonded, my Anti-void had become mine and Ink's home. Ink and I worked together to make it how we wanted it. I have to admit, it was fun making things instead of just always destroying. In that time, peace had bloomed for both our Multiverses. Kids were able to laugh and play, Families lived without fear. Would I go through all of it again? I look at Ink and smile a little. I would in a heartbeat.

I go to the bathroom and decide to take a shower. Ink and I had been pretty active last night and I feel so dirty. Removing my shirt, I take notice of myself in the mirror Ink used to check himself before heading out. What caught my attention was something in my abdomen. Taking a closer looking, I can only barely seen three tiny specks in my ecto body. I sigh and take my shower. Ink and I were going to have a serious talk later. I smile a little, unable to really stay mad at my bonded. We had been trying pretty hard since we lost our first between us. I jump, a little surprised as a pair of arms wrap around my waist. "It's just me, Love" Ink says. I sigh. "No, we are not getting kinky in the shower, Kiki. I'm....I'm pregnant" I say.

I turn to see Ink smile. "For certain this time?" He asks and I nod. "First sign, ecto body refusing to be dismissed" I say and Ink kisses me happily. "Not in the shower, Kiki" I say and squeak in surprise. "Ok, not in the shower" He says and turns off the shower. I blush. "INK, PUT ME DOWN!" I yell and he gently puts me on the bed. 'So much for getting cleaned up' I think as Ink kisses me deeply. "Kiki, Nightshade is expecting us." I say and he chuckles. "She called before I joined you. Her and Valor are going on a date. So, we don't have to go anywhere" Ink purrs. I blush. "You're unsaitable." I say and he chuckles. "Only for you love" He says. "You had better hope three is all we have or I'll kill you, Kiki"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of Behind The Mirror. Thanks go out to everyone who has read this story and those that continue to read it again and again. I never imagined that seeing ink as the villain would lead to a story with over 1k views! If you want to do fan art, It would tickle me pink. Stories based off the Mirrorverse or The Guardians of The Nexus would as well. Just please remember to credit me and let me know so I can enjoy whatever you come up with. I have a lot of Behind The Mirror artwork on my Tumblr. My username there is ACLovers.


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